Electoral law
Registration of voters is governed by the Representation of the People Act 1983.
The council must name an officer who is in charge of registrations. They are known as the Electoral Registration Officer. The Chief Executive is the Electoral Registration Officer for Thurrock. This appointment is separate to their appointment as the Chief Executive.
The Electoral Registration Officer:
- does not carry out registration duties on behalf of the council
- carries out duties in their own personal capacity – for example, the electoral register is the property of the Electoral Registration Officer rather than the council
Freedom of information and the electoral register
The Freedom of Information Act does not apply to individuals appointed under the Representation of the People Act. This includes the Electoral Registration Officer, Returning Officer and any other person appointed under this act. This means any requests for electoral registration information will not be treated as freedom of information requests.
Find out more about freedom of information.