Representation of the People Regulations, 1949*(* These Regulations having lain before both Houses of Parliament in accordance with subsection (4) of section 76 of the Representation of the People Act, 1948, were approved by resolution of the House of Lords on March 1, 1949, and by resolution of the House of Commons on February 28, 1949.)

JurisdictionUK Non-devolved
CitationSI 1949/327
Year1949

1949 No. 327

REPRESENTATION OF THE PEOPLE

The Representation of the People Regulations, 1949*(* These Regulations having lain before both Houses of Parliament in accordance with subsection (4) of section 76 of the Representation of the People Act, 1948, were approved by resolution of the House of Lords on March 1, 1949, and by resolution of the House of Commons on February 28, 1949.)

8thFebruary 1949

ARRANGEMENT OF REGULATIONS

PART I

REGISTRATION

The Register

1. Separate part of register for each registration unit.

2. Order of names in register.

3. Marking of names in register to indicate at which election person entitled to vote.

4. Marking of names in register to indicate manner of voting.

The Electors Lists

5. Form of electors lists.

6. Publication of electors lists.

Claims and objections

7. Notice of claims and objections.

8. Time for making claims and objections.

9. Form of claims and objections.

10. Entry and preliminary disposal of claims and objections.

11. Hearing of claims and objections.

12. Date of completion of consideration of claims and objections.

13. Corrections consequent on consideration of claims and objections.

14. Correction of clerical errors and removal of names of dead persons.

15. Other corrections.

Publication and Sale of Register

16. Publication of register.

17. Registration officer to furnish copies of register.

18. Free copies of register.

19. Sale of register.

Supplementary

20. Declaration as to age and nationality.

21. Power of registration officer to delegate his duties.

22. Information from householders.

23. Adaptation of electors lists and register in consequence of altered polling districts.

Corrupt and Illegal Practices List

24. Corrupt and illegal practices list.

PART II

ABSENT VOTERS, PROXIES AND POSTAL PROXIES

25. Application to be treated as an absent voter.

26. Record and list of absent voters.

27. Application to vote by proxy.

28. Appointment of proxy.

29. Proxy paper.

30. Cancellation and disregard of proxy appointment.

31. Record and list of proxies.

32. Application by proxy to vote by post.

33. Record and list of postal proxies.

34. Certificate of employment.

PART III

ISSUE AND RECEIPT OF POSTAL BALLOT PAPERS

Interpretation

35. Interpretation of Part III.

Issue of Postal Ballot Papers

36. Form of postal ballot paper and of declaration of identity.

37. Appointment of clerks.

38. Persons entitled to be present at issue and receipt of postal ballot papers.

39. Declaration of secrecy.

40. Notice of issue of postal ballot papers.

41. Marking of postal ballot paper.

42. Refusal to issue postal ballot paper.

43. Ballot paper envelope.

44. Delivery of postal ballot papers to post office.

45. Provision of postal voters' ballot box.

46. Sealing up of special lists and counterfoils.

Receipt of Postal Ballot Papers

47. Receipt of covering envelope.

48. Opening of postal voters' ballot box.

49. Opening of covering envelopes.

50. Sealing up rejected votes and declarations of identity.

51. Opening of ballot paper envelopes.

52. Forwarding of documents.

PART IV

SERVICE VOTERS

53. Service declaration by member of the forces or his wife.

54. Qualification for Crown servant.

55. Service declaration by Crown servant or his wife.

56. Transmission of service declaration by Crown servant or his wife.

57. Service declaration by person about to leave the United Kingdom.

58. Proceedings by registration officer on receipt of service declaration.

59. Invalid service declaration.

60. Service declaration ceasing to be in force.

61. Evidence as to service declaration.

PART V

SUPPLEMENTARY

62. Appeals.

63. Registration of motor vehicles.

64. Official poll card.

65. Forms.

66. Sending of notices, etc.

67. Publication of documents.

68. Misnomers.

69. Time.

70. Penalties.

71. Interpretation.

72. Qualifying date for, and publication of, first register.

73. Transitory provisions.

74. Commencement of Regulations.

75. Appointed day for Parts II and III of the Act.

76. Citation and extent.

SCHEDULES

FIRST SCHEDULE: Forms.

Forms for use by registration officers

Form A: Return by occupier as to residents.

Form B: Return by occupier of land or premises.

Form C: Notice as to publication of the electors lists and making of claims and objections.

Form D: Proxy paper.

Forms for use by returning officers

Form E: Elector's official poll card.

Form F: Proxy's official poll card.

Form G: Certificate of employment.

Form H: Declaration of identity.

Forms for use by service voters

Form J: Service declaration and application for appointment of proxy by a member of the forces.

Form K: Service declaration and application for appointment of proxy by the wife of a member of the forces.

Form L: Service declaration and application for appointment of proxy by a Crown servant.

Form M: Service declaration and application for appointment of proxy by the wife of a Crown servant.

Form N: Application by a service voter in the United Kingdom to vote by post.

Forms for use by other persons

Form O: Claim to be registered as an elector.

Form P: Form of objection.

Form Q: Application to be treated as an absent voter for an indefinite period.

Form R: Application to vote by post owing to change of residence.

Form S: Application to be treated as an absent voter for a particular election.

Form T: Application for appointment of proxy.

Form V: Application by a service voter's proxy to vote by post.

Form W: Return of expenses required by section 42 of the Representation of the People Act, 1948, to be authorised by an election agent.

Form X: Declaration as to expenses required by section 42 of the Representation of the People Act, 1948, to be authorised by an election agent.

SECOND SCHEDULE: Table of comparison of election rules.

In pursuance of the powers conferred upon me by the Representation of the People Act, 1948(a), I hereby make the following Regulations:—

PART I

REGISTRATION

The Register

Separate part of register for each registration unit.

1.—(1) The register shall be framed in separate parts for each registration unit in the constituency.

(2) The registration unit shall be each parliamentary polling district if wholly contained in an electoral area or, where a parliamentary polling district is contained in more than one electoral area, each part of the polling district contained in a separate electoral area.

(3) There shall be a separate letter or letters in the register for each parliamentary polling district and such letter or letters shall be deemed to form part of an elector's number in the register.

Order of names in register.

2.—(1) The names in each registration unit shall be arranged in street order unless the local authority whose clerk is registration officer determine for any unit that alphabetical order is more convenient, or that the names shall be arranged partly in one way and partly in the other.

(2) The names in the register shall be numbered so far as is reasonably practicable consecutively with a separate series of numbers (beginning with the number one) for each parliamentary polling district.

Marking of names in register to indicate at which elections person entitled to vote.

3.—(1) To indicate that an elector has a non-resident qualification in respect of an address or is otherwise not entitled to vote at a parliamentary election the letter "L" shall be placed against his name in the electors lists and the register.

(2) To indicate that an elector is not entitled to vote at certain local government elections letters shall be placed against his name in the electors lists and the register as follows:—

(a) in respect of an address for which he is not entitled to vote at elections of county councillors, the letter "C";

(b) in respect of an address for which he is not entitled to vote at elections of rural district councillors, the letter "R".

(a) 11 & 12 Geo. 6. c. 65.

Marking of names in register to indicate manner of voting.

4. To indicate the manner in which an elector is entitled to vote at an election there shall be placed—

(a) in the electors lists and the register against the name of any elector who is a service voter the letter "S";

(b) in any copy of the register or part thereof provided for a polling station—

(i) against the name of any elector who is, or whose proxy is, entitled to vote by post the letter "A",

(ii) against the name of any elector (other than a service voter) on behalf of whom a proxy is entitled to vote the letter "P".

The Electors Lists

Form of electors lists.

5.—(1) The electors lists shall be framed in separate parts for each registration unit in the constituency.

(2) Subject to paragraph (5) of this Regulation, the electors lists for a registration unit shall consist of—

List A—a copy of the register in force for the unit,

List B—a list of newly qualified electors, that is to say, persons who are qualified for registration as parliamentary or as local government electors in respect of qualifying addresses for which they are not registered in the register in force or who, since the qualifying date of the register in force, have become entitled to be registered as non-residents instead of as residents or service voters, or vice versa, or as residents instead of as service voters, or vice versa, in respect of those addresses, and

List C—a list of persons who have ceased to be qualified as electors or whose qualification has been altered, that is to say, persons who, being registered in respect of qualifying addresses in the register in force, have ceased to be qualified for registration as parliamentary or as local government electors in respect of those addresses or who, since the qualifying date for the register in force, have become entitled to be registered as non-residents instead of as residents or service voters, or vice versa, or as residents instead of as service voters, or vice versa, in respect of those addresses:

Provided that where the area of a registration unit differs from the area of that unit as constituted for the purposes of the register in...

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