ACSeS calls for Edited Register of Electors to be scrapped

It should not be an issue as to whether or not the Edited Register of Electors should be abolished “but how and when”, the Association of Council Secretaries and Solicitors said this month.

The association was responding to a Ministry of Justice consultation paper on the future of the Edited Register, which – unlike the full electoral register – is available for sale. The paper outlines six options for change – three for abolishing it and three for retaining it.

The ACSeS submission argued that the Electoral Register is compiled for the purposes of conducting elections and “no secondary use should ever be made of that data if it in any way diminishes or reduces the effectiveness of the democratic process”.

The association expressed concern that, with falling election turnouts in recent years, re-use of data through the Edited Register could be deterring electors from registering.

“Whilst ACSeS acknowledges that some commercial businesses (and, indeed, some charitable organisations) do currently make use of the edited register for secondary purposes, the predominant issue and principal concern – namely the effectiveness of the democratic process – must override any secondary considerations,” it added.

ACSeS said it was “a matter of significant and justifiable concern” that the edited register is available for sale “to anyone for any purpose whatsoever, and perhaps most notably for commercial purposes”.

Mark Heath, Solicitor to the Council at Southampton City Council and author of the submission, said: “In all the circumstances the position should not be whether or not the edited register is abolished, but how and when this should happen.”