Shropshire Council

Special category electors

As well as ordinary electors, provision has been made for certain other categories of electors.

Service personnel and their spouses

Servicemen and women (and their spouses) have the option of either registering as ordinary civilian electors, or as "service voters".

As many service voters move from one base to another, or even abroad, during their five year registration period, they should ensure that any address changes for postal ballot papers are kept up-to-date within that period, as otherwise their ballot papers may inadvertently be sent to an out-of-date address at election time.

The Elections Team is sometimes able to visit service bases within its boundaries to raise the profile of electoral registration.

Overseas electors

British citizens living abroad are now eligible to register to vote in UK general elections, regardless of how long they’ve been living outside the UK.

People that have previously lived in or been registered to vote in the UK now have the right to vote in UK parliamentary elections. They can register online and will need to confirm their personal information every three years.

British citizens living abroad will need to provide details of the address and time they were last registered or resident in the UK. Local authorities, which are responsible for the electoral roll in their area, must be able to verify an applicant’s identity and past connection to the area. 

More information is available on the Electoral Commission website.

Crown servants and British Council employees and their spouses living overseas

If people are working outside the UK as a crown servant or employee of the British Council, they can still register to vote in elections. Spouses of crown servants or British Council employees who accompany them during their employment abroad may also register in this way.

Persons with no fixed address

People can still register to vote, even if they have no fixed address due to being:

  • A patient in a mental health hospital
  • A homeless person or having no fixed address (eg living on a boat which may be moored at several different places)
  • A person remanded in custody

Such electors may register under what is referred to as a 'declaration of local connection'. Applicants will need to provide an address where they would be living if it were not for their current situation, or an address where they've lived in the past. If applicants are homeless, they can give details of where they spend a substantial part of their time.

If you prefer not to register online, you can instead complete paper application form.

Anonymous registration

If an elector's personal safety would be at risk from having their name appear on the voters' list, they may be able to register anonymously. The rules allowing some people to register in this way are exceptionally strict and set out in law. To qualify, applicants will need either:

  • A current court document which is for the protection of or benefit to either themselves or someone in their household; or
  • The support of the application from a qualified person. That person must be either:
    • a police officer of or above the rank of inspector of any police force in England and Wales
    • a police officer of or above the rank of inspector of the Police Service of Scotland
    • a police officer of or above the rank of inspector of the Police Service of Northern Ireland
    • the Director General of the Security Service
    • the Director General of the National Crime Agency
    • any director of adult social services in England within the meaning of section 6(A1) of the Local Authority Social Services Act 1970
    • any director of children's services in England within the meaning of section 18 of the Children Act 2004
    • any director of social services in Wales within the meaning of section 6(1) of the Local Authority Social Services Act 1970
    • any chief social work officer in Scotland within the meaning of section 3 of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968.
    • any director of social services of a Health and Social Services Board established under article 16 of the Health and Personal Social Services (Northern Ireland) Order 1972
    • any executive director of social work of a Health and Social Services Trust established under article 10 of the Health and Personal Social Services (Northern Ireland) Order 1991
    • any registered medical practitioner
    • any registered nurse or midwife
    • any person who manages a refuge. A “refuge” means accommodation with a planned programme of therapeutic and practical support for victims of, or those at risk of, domestic abuse or violence.

Please note that the qualifying officer doesn't have to be based in the same area as the applicant, but the attestation can't be delegated to a more junior person within the organisation.

Applicants should keep copies of court orders or attestations for subsequent applications, as these have to be submitted annually along with their renewal application.

 

For any further information, take a look at the Your Vote Matters website or get in touch with us using the contact details on this page.