The electoral roll (or electoral register) is a listing of all those registered to vote in a particular area. Voter registration is the requirement in some democracies for Citizens and residents to check in with some central registry specifically for the purpose of being allowed The register facilitates the process of voting, helps to prevent fraud and may also be used to select people for jury duty. A jury a sworn body of persons convened to render a rational, impartial Verdict (a finding of fact on a question officially submitted to them Electoral registers are used in many democracies including the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island
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United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, the right and obligation to register for voting extends to all British, Republic of Ireland, Commonwealth and European Union citizens. British nationality law is the law of the United Kingdom concerning Citizenship and other categories of British Nationality. Irish nationality law is the law of Republic of Ireland governing citizenship The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in British citizens living overseas may register for up to 15 years after they were last registered at an address in the UK. [1] It is possible for someone to register before their 18th birthday as long as they will reach that age before the next revision of the register.
The register is compiled for each polling district, and held by the electoral registration office. In England and Wales this office is located at the local council (district, borough, or unitary level). History The Roman occupation of Britain was the first period in which the area of present-day England and Wales was administered as a single unit (with the exception In Scotland, the offices are sometimes located with councils, but may also be separate. Northern Ireland has a central Electoral Office run by the government.
At present, the register is compiled by sending an annual canvass form to every house (a process introduced by Representation of the People Act 1918). The Representation of the People Act 1918 was an Act of Parliament passed to reform the electoral system in the United Kingdom. A fine of up to £1,000 (level 3 on the Standard scale) can be imposed for failing to complete the form or giving false information. The standard scale is a system whereby financial criminal penalties ( fines) in Legislation have maximum levels set against a standard scale Up to 2001, the revised register was published on 15 February each year, based on a qualifying date of 10 October, and a draft register published on 28 November the previous year. Events 590 - Khosrau II is crowned as king of Persia 1637 - Ferdinand III becomes Holy Roman Emperor Events 680 - Battle of Karbala: Shia Imam Husayn bin Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, is decapitated For the town in Argentina, see 28 de Noviembre. Events From 2001 as a result of the Representation of the People Act 2000, the annual 'revised' register is published on 1 December, although it is possible to update the register with new names each month between January and September. The Representation of the People Act 2000 changes the British electoral process in the following ways Amends the 1983 Representation of the Events 800 - Charlemagne judges the accusations against Pope Leo III in the Vatican
The register has two formats. The full version of the register is available for supervised inspection by anyone, by legal right. It is this register that is used for voting and its supply and use is limited by law. Copies of this register are available to certain groups and individuals, such as credit reference agencies and political parties.
An 'edited' version of the register, which omits those people who have chosen to 'opt-out', can be purchased by anyone for any purpose.
The full register contains the following information:
- voter number (two letters indicating the polling district, followed by a number)
- voter's name and address
- date of birth (if 18th birthday falls within a year of the register is published)
- if the voter has requested a postal vote
- after an election, an indication of whether or not that voter cast their vote
Plans for a Coordinated Online Register of Electors (CORE) are underway; the intention being to standardise local registers and permit central data access. In the United Kingdom, the Co-ordinated On-line Record of Electors (CORE previously the Co-ordinated On-line Register of Electors
It has been suggested that in the future the register may be taken from the data that is to be held on the proposed Citizen Information Project [1], or on the National Identity Register [2]. In the United Kingdom, the Citizen Information Project (CIP was a plan by the Office for National Statistics to build a national population register Enabling legislation for the British national identity card was passed under the Identity Cards Act 2006 In January 2005 the Constitutional Affairs Committee and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister began a joint inquiry into reforming the registration system. The Commons Constitutional Affairs Committee (est January 2003 of the United Kingdom was a select committee of the House of Commons which looked into the expenditure The Department for Communities and Local Government (branded as Communities and Local Government) is the United Kingdom government department for communities
Despite widespread calls for its introduction, the Electoral Administration Act 2006 did not provide for individual voter registration, on the justification that registration levels would fall. The Electoral Administration Act 2006 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, passed on 11 July 2006.
Australia
The earliest electoral rolls in Australia date from the 1840s, for the states of New South Wales and Victoria.
Compilation of an annual electoral roll for the Commonwealth of Australia commenced following federation in 1901. For some years afterwards, the individual States also compiled State electoral rolls, but (with the exception of Western Australia) these have been discontinued, and State and local elections are today based upon the Commonwealth electoral roll. Western Australia is a state occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent.
Enrolment is compulsory for all eligible voters (with the exception of Norfolk Island, where enrolment is voluntary). Norfolk Island ( Norfuk: Norfuk Ailen) is a small inhabited island in the Pacific Ocean located between Australia, New Zealand Voting is open to Australian citizens, and to British citizens who have been resident in Australia since before 1984 (about 9% of the electoral roll).
Currently the electoral roll merely records the name and address of the voter, although in previous years occupation was also recorded.
The register is compiled by the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) on a state/territory-wide basis, in alphabetical order of surname. The Australian Electoral Commission, or the AEC is the federal government agency in charge of organising and supervising federal elections and referendums Prior to 1988 electoral rolls were compiled by polling division and sub-division.
Until 1990, Lord Howe Island was recorded within the Sydney polling division. Lord Howe Island (ˈhaʊ is a small island in the Pacific Ocean east of the Australian mainland
The Cocos Islands and Christmas Island are today recorded on the Northern Territory roll. The Territory of Christmas Island is a small territory of Australia located in the Indian Ocean, 2600 kilometres (1600 mi northwest of The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the center of the mainland continent as well as the central northern regions
Since 21 July 2004 the Australian electoral roll has not been sold in any format. Events 356 BC - Herostratus sets fire to the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the World "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " It has not been produced in printed format since 1985, when it changed to publication on microfiche. Microforms are any form either films or paper containing microreproductions of documents for transmission storage reading and printing Today it is only produced in an electronic format, and only for viewing at an AEC office. Each office holds a copy of the electoral roll for the entire country.
These arrangements try to strike a balance between privacy of the voters, and The publication of the roll is integral to the conduct of free and fair elections, enabling participants to verify the openness and accountability of the electoral process and object to the enrolment of any elector.
Ireland
The electoral register in Ireland is maintained by the local authorities and all residents that have reached 18 years of age in the state may register at the address in which they are 'ordinarily resident'. Each November a draft register is published after house-to-house enquiries. The register then comes into force the following February after time for appeals and additions. A supplementary register is published which allows voters make alterations (usually change of address or becoming 18 years of age) prior to voting day. Postal votes are restricted to certain occupations, students and the disabled or elderly resident away from their home. There is also provision for special voters that are usually physically disabled.
While all residents can be registered voting in Ireland depends on citizenship. All residents are entitled to vote in local authority elections. Irish and EU citizens may vote in European parliament elections. Irish and UK citizens may vote in elections to Dáil Éireann. Only Irish citizens may vote in elections for the President and in constitutional referendums.
The electoral register for elections to the six university seats in Seanad Éireann is maintained by the National University of Ireland and University of Dublin. Irish citizens that are graduates of these universities over 18 years of age may register. Voting is by postal vote and residence in the state is not required.
New Zealand
Electoral rolls have been used in New Zealand since the late nineteenth century, and some are available in public libraries for genealogical research. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar Genealogy (from Greek: el γενεά el-Latn genea, "descent" and el λόγος el-Latn logos, "knowledge" is the study of [2] Traditionally, the Maori indigenous people have had separate electoral registration; electoral rolls for the Maori were introduced in 1948. This article discusses the Māori people of New Zealand For their language see Māori language, and for other meanings see Māori (disambiguation. Year 1948 ( MCMXLVIII) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. In 1975 electors of Maori descent were given the choice of whether to register on the Maori or "general" electoral registers. Year 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. [3]
See also
- Australia
- New Zealand
- United Kingdom
References
- ^ The Electoral Commission : Your vote : FAQs
- ^ Electoral Rolls at the Christchurch City Libraries website
- ^ History of the vote in New Zealand at the Elections New Zealand official website
External links
- Parliamentary inquiry into voter registration, January 2005
- How to register to vote
- Bigger databases...could also mean more unwelcome intervention
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