Electoral Registration

The Register of Electors

The Register of Electors is the list of everyone in North Norfolk who is entitled to vote. The Register is revised on 1 December each year after completion of an annual canvass when a householdregistration form is sent to every household in the district. From then on the list is updated monthly.

Importance of Registration

It is important to remember that anyone who does not register as an elector will be unable to vote at any elections or referendums which occur while they remain unregistered.

Please make sure that your name is registered so that you retain the opportunity to influence the future political direction of North Norfolk and beyond.

"Rolling" Registration of Electors Deadline for applications - 2009

Month	Last day for receipt of applications	Effective Date (and notice given)
December	11 Dec	2 Jan
January	9 Jan	2 Feb
February	6 Feb	2 March
March	10 March	1 April
April	7 April	1 May
May	19 May	28 May
June	9 June	1 July
July	10 July	3 Aug
August	10 Aug	1 Sept
September	11th day deadline only applicable where election called in this period	canvass period
October
November

N.B

1. These deadlines apply to applications to be added to the Register.
2. Alterations to the Register after the determination of a Registration Appeal by the Courts, or because of the discovery of a clerical error, may be made and affected for an Election up to 9pm on Polling day.
3. Objections to applications to be added to the Register must be received by not later than the 5th working day after the application was received by the Registration Officer. Determination of an application by the ERO cannot be made until after that period has elapsed.

Two editions of the Register of Electors are published, namely:

The Full Register which is available for use and supply only for specified purposes, i.e.

• electoral purposes
• prevention and detection of crime
• credit application identification checks

This Register is available at NNDC Offices for public inspection, but only under supervision, and no person will be able to copy details therefrom except by way of hand-written notes.

The Edited Register is available to purchase by anyone for any purpose (including, for example, direct marketing). This Register will not contain the names of those electors who exercise their right to opt-out from this version. The cost of the register varies. If you would like to find out more, please contact the Council's Electoral Services Team at North Norfolk District Council, Holt Road, Cromer NR27 9EN. Telephone (01263) 516046, fax (01263) 515042, or make an enquiry via this website using the 'Contact Us' page.

Rolling Registration (monthly updates) - see timetable above.

If you moved after the completion of the annual canvass and wish to re-register to vote at your new address you will need to complete an individual registration form (we regret that, because we need your signature, this cannot be completed online). The Application Form also includes a box in which applicants may indicate their wish to opt-out of the Edited Register. Click here to download a registration form (23kb) in pdf format to print, complete, and send to us. The instructions are contained in the pdf document.

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Overseas Electors - Registration

If you are a former resident of North Norfolk but no longer live in the UK, you can nevertheless still vote at Parliamentary and European Parliamentary elections if you register as an overseas elector. However, you must be a British Citizen. You must also satisfy either of the following two sets of conditions:

SET 1

Your name was previously on the electoral register for an address in the UK (if this was not in North Norfolk you will need to apply to the Electoral Registration Officer for the District Council in whose area you resided immediately prior to moving overseas).

You were living in the UK on the qualifying date for that register.

There are no more than 15 years between the qualifying dates for that register and the register you now want to be on.

OR

SET 2

You last lived in the UK less than 15 years before the qualifying date for the register you now want to be on.

You were too young to be on the electoral register which was based on the last qualifying date before you left.

A parent or guardian was on that electoral register, for the address where you were living on that date.

You are at least 18 years old, or will become 18 by 30 November next year.

We regret that, because we need your signature, an application form cannot be completed online.

Please contact the electoral services team for a form and guidance notes - 01263 516317/516046 or make an enquiry via this website using the 'contact us' page.

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Methods of Voting

If you are unable to go to your polling station on Election Day, you don't have to lose your right to vote. Registered electors can apply to vote by post or, in certain circumstances, by proxy. A 'proxy' is someone who is appointed by you to vote on your behalf. For more information or advice about your voting options contact the Council's Electoral Services Team at North Norfolk District Council, Holt Road, Cromer NR27 9EN. Telephone (01263) 516046 or 516317. Fax (01263) 515042.

Voting by Post

If you apply to vote by post, a ballot paper will be sent to your home about one week before the election. If you are likely to be away at this time, you can arrange for the ballot paper to be sent to your away address, but you may be required to state the reason for this at a particular election.

You will also receive a postal voting statement form, which must be signed by you ( you will also be asked to include your date of birth), and an envelope in which to place your marked ballot paper. Return both the form and the sealed ballot-paper envelope in the larger prepaid envelope that will also be provided.

The larger envelope for the return of the documents will not be prepaid if you have asked for the postal vote to be sent to an address outside the UK.

If you do require the postal vote to be sent to an overseas address, you should be confident that the postal services can deliver it to you and return it to the relevant election office in the UK within five working days. If you are not sure that this can be achieved, you would be well advised to appoint a proxy to vote on your behalf.

The government have introduced the need to provide both a signature and date of birth on applications, as a measure to help combat election fraud. These personal indentifiers will be checked when postal votes are returned and opened, and where the DOB and signature don't match with those held on the application the postal vote will be rejected.

NB: There are special arrangements where applicants are unable to provide signatures.

Please note that once you (or your proxy) have been sent a postal ballot paper you will not be able to vote in person.

All postal votes must be returned to the Returning Officer at the Council's offices in Cromer before the end of voting on the day of the election. If you forget to post it in time, remember that you can hand it in to the Returning Officer at the Council's Offices or to a polling station in the electoral area on Election Day.

When and how to apply

For more information and application forms please contact the Elections Office on 01263 516317 / 516046 (or Fax 01263 515042).

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Voting by Proxy

You can apply to appoint a proxy who will vote on your behalf if you cannot vote in person at your polling station because

• your work or studies take you away from home
• you are blind or suffer from some other form of disability
• you are in poor health, or are in residential care or hospital

Your application will have to be attested by someone who knows you and can confirm your circumstances.
If you wish to vote by proxy you must find someone who is willing to vote for you. He or she will then be able to vote at your polling station, or, if your proxy lives some distance from your address, by post. If you wish your proxy to vote for you by post, please ask for a copy of the relevant application form.

A proxy must be at least 18-years-old and not disqualified to vote in his or her own right. For a General Election the proxy must be a British, Commonwealth or Irish citizen; and for Local Government or European Parliamentary Elections he or she may be a citizen of the European Union. No person may act as a proxy for more than two people at the same election, unless he or she is closely related to them.

If you appoint a proxy and then have a change of plans, you may still vote in person, providing you do so before the proxy has voted on your behalf.

There are also arrangements for persons becoming ill within a few days before polling day to apply for an emergency proxy appointment.

When and how to apply

For more information please contact the Elections Office on 01263 516317 / 516046 (or Fax 01263 515042).