Privacy Notice
What we do with the information you give us when you use our Elections Team for maintaining the electoral register.
You have specific rights in relation to the data that you provide to the Council. To find out more, including how to make a request, please see our Information Rights page.
Services covered by this privacy notice: Electoral Registration
Purpose of the Processing: We use information about residents, electors and voters to enable us to maintain the Electoral Register and carry out specific functions for which we are responsible to provide you with a statutory service.
To verify your identity, the data you provide will be processed by the Individual Electoral Registration Digital service managed by the Cabinet Office. As part of this process your data will be shared with the Department of Work and Pensions and the Cabinet Office suppliers that are data processors for the Individual Electoral Registration Digital Service. You can find more information about this here Individual Electoral Registration – GOV.UK
Legal Basis for Processing Personal Data: Legal Obligation and Public Task
Categories of Personal Data being Processed:
- Name
- Previous names
- Age – over 76 or under 16/17
- Address
- Previous addresses
- Whether the elector have opted out of the Open Register
- Email Address
- Phone number
- National Insurance Number
- Passport number
- Date of birth
- Signature
- Scanned copies of application forms
- Photographs – passport/driving licence/ marriage certificate/utility bills etc
Special Categories of Personal Data being Processed (if appropriate): Nationality
Legal Basis for Processing Special Categories of Personal Data: Substantial Public Interest
Who the data might be shared with:
- Registered political parties, elected representatives, candidates, agents and other permitted participants who are able to use it for electoral purposes only
- The public
- Cabinet Office
- Department of Work and Pensions
- Returning Officers
- Credit reference agencies (sale basis – see below)
- British Library
- UK Statistics Authority
- Electoral Commission
- Town and Parish Councils
- Police
- Contracted printers to print poll cards, postal packs and other electoral material
- Idox – election software supplier
More information on the sale/supply of the electoral register can be found here: Supply and sale of the electoral register – House of Commons Library (parliament.uk)
How Long Will the Data be Kept For?
Details on the Electoral Register are held permanently (reviewed annually to ensure that it is current). Only the current register is available for inspection.
Where a resident has applied to be registered, the data is retained for 13 months or no longer than is necessary or required.
Canvass data is retained for 13 months or no longer than is necessary or required.
Copies of ID evidence are disposed of as soon as the application has been approved.
Scanned imagines of absent vote applications are kept until the elector requests that the absent vote is removed.
Phone and email data is retained for no longer than is necessary or required as a means of contacting the person on electoral matters.
The Open Register
The Open Register is an extract of the Electoral Register, but it is not used for elections. It can be bought by any person, company or organisation.
For example, it is used by businesses and charities to confirm name and address details. Your name and address will be included in the Open Register unless you ask for them to be removed. Removing your details from the Open Register does not affect your right to vote.
If you would like your details removed from the Open Register, or would like to check that they are not included please email elections@somerset.gov.uk.
To learn more about the register and the difference between the open (edited) and electoral (full) registers, please see Information Electoral Register