Individual Electoral Registration (IER) Electoral Matters Committee 17.7.13

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Individual Electoral Registration
(IER)Electoral Matters Committee17.7.13
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Legislation

• Electoral Registration and Administration Act
  2013 passed by Parliament on 31 January 2013
• IER will now be implemented
• Secondary Legislation still in preparation

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What is IER?

• From 1 July 2014 Requirement for all persons to
  register to vote individually as opposed to the
  current system requiring one person in each
  household to register all eligible persons
• Electors will have to provide personal
  identifiers- likely to be National Insurance No.
  and date of birth
• Signature not required- enable online
  registration
• Electors only placed on register once personal
  identifiers have been checked against trusted
  data sources (e.g. from DWP)

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Aims of IER

• Increase public trust in the registration system
• Encourage individual responsibility for
  registration
• Introduce more convenient channels of
  registration
• Reduce risk/perception of electoral fraud
• Maximising completeness and accuracy of the
  register

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Electoral Year 2013

• July/August- Confirmation Dry Run
• Associated Issues
• - September/October 2013 - Potential reschedule
  of 2014 Absent Vote Identifier Refresh
• - October to February 2013 - Delayed Annual
  Canvass

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Electoral Year 2014

• 1 July 2014- IER Go Live
• July/August- Confirmation exercise-
• All individuals on Pre-IER register will go
  through secure process of data matching
• ERO writes to successful matches (estimated 70
  based on pilots)-registered under IER- no further
  action needed

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2014 Electoral Year (Contd)

• ERO writes to non-matches inviting provision of
  personal identifiers (IER Form)
• Household Enquiry Form (HEF) sent to other
  properties

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Household Enquiry Forms (HEF)

• Sent to
• - Where no current registered elector
• - New properties
• - Known that entry on current register is
  incorrect
• HEF aims to identify potential eligible electors
  (i.e. to then receive an IER form)
• Non-responses followed up by reminders and
  canvasser personal visits

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HEF (Contd)

• Completed HEF will be used to identify
• those currently on the register who remain
  eligible
• New occupants or attainers (16/17 year olds)
  who should be invited to register to vote and
• Electors who appear no longer to be resident
  (their details have been deleted on the returned
  form)

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IER Forms

• Personally addressed individual registration form
  sent to identified electors
• Includes electors identified via the HEF
• IER form includes a request that the details of
  any other occupants residing at the address who
  have not received an IER form be provided
• Non-responses followed up by reminders and
  canvasser visits

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2014 Carry Forward Arrangements

• Electors who fail to respond to the first IER
  canvass in 2014 will not be removed from the
  register.
• Electors who fail to respond to the first IER
  canvass in 2014 correctly will not be removed
  from the register.
• Ensures such electors are not removed from the
  register ahead of the 2015 General Election.
• Current absent voters who are not confirmed or
  fail to register individually by 1.12.14 lose
  entitlement to absent vote but remain on
  register.

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Electoral Year 2015 (and onwards)

• January to December Ongoing mail out and
  chasing IER Forms (Rolling Registration)
• July/August- HEF to all properties to establish
  residents
• August to December- Annual Canvass (IER Forms-
  for individual registration)

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Electoral Year 2015 (Contd)

• No requirement in 2015 and beyond for electors
  already registered individually (and whose
  details have been verified) to repeat the
  registration process again.
• Authenticated electors will remain registered on
  a continuous basis unless
• - they notify the ERO that their details have
  changed or
• - the annual canvass suggests that they are
  no longer resident or
• - information from other sources prompts
  further enquiries (e.g. data matching with DWP
  data)

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Data Matching

• Data on Electoral Register matched with other
  data e.g. DWP data
• Data returned to ERO with RAG rating
• Green- Positive match
• Amber- Matched but not entirely
• Red- No match
• Amber and Red electors can be matched with local
  data e.g. Council Tax/ Housing Benefits data

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Digital Service

• Government developing a web portal to enable
  citizens to register to vote online
• Data from the secure web portal will be matched
  against DWP data
• Results of the matching exercise will be
  accessible to authorities to determine issue of
  HEF/IER forms

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Additional details

• Any IER application received at any time during
  the year will be subject to the personal
  identifiers verification process (data matching
  with DWP data)
• IER forms can be sent out at any time of the year
• HEF will be pre-populated with names of electors
  currently registered at the address
• Government commitment to fully fund IER
  implementation
• Government aim for transition to IER fully
  complete by 2016 BUT may amend to 2015 dependent
  on progress made and ease of transition

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Potential issues

• Increased resources required
• - rolling canvass
• - data matching resources (DWP and Local
  data)
• - increased mailing out of forms
• - increased canvassing
• Less people registering- reluctance to provide
  personal information
• Accessing hard to reach groups
• Lack of public awareness of IER

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Current / Imminent Issues

• AGMA collaboration on IER
• Cabinet Office Workshops
• Cabinet Office/Electoral Commission guidance
• Cabinet Office training roll-out
• EMS supplier training

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Key 2013 timescales
Issue Timescale
Confirmation of Salfords transition funding provision for IER implementation March 2013- 9, 858
Roll out and testing of EMS enhancements for IER April-June 2013
Electoral Commission issue guidance on planning for transition June 2013
Completion of first IER Implementation Progress Report for Cabinet Office June 2013
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Key 2013 timescales
Issue Timescale
Confirmation dry run July/August 2013
Completion of 2nd IER Implementation Progress Report September 2013
Cabinet Office complete Readiness Assessment for all authorities October 2013
Delayed Canvass commences October 2013 - March 2014
Cabinet Office confirm whether transition to IER can go ahead based on readiness of authorities 8 November 2013
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Key 2014 timescales
Issue Timescale
May/June Local/European Elections (Dates tbc- likely to be 22nd May 2014)
1 July 2014 IER Go Live
1 December 2014 Publication of first IER register
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• Any Questions?