Warning: The Edited Electoral Register and opting out

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Bobby Dazzler

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Every year you should get an annual electoral register form, so you can confirm who's eligible to vote in your household.

Every form I've ever seen encourages you to simply confirm if nothing has changed since last time. What do you think "no change" means? Same as last year? Me too.

It seems not. Even if you opted out of the Edited Electoral Register last year (or at any time) then this will not be carried forward to this years form, meaning that you have to remember to check the box to opt out again. Not really no change then.

Why the big deal?

Well the Edited Electoral Register is the register that's sold in electronic or paper form to anyone who wants it for tuppence ha'penny, and is the source of our personal details used by junk mailers and the like.

Opting out lasts for one 12 month period only. You are automatically opted back-in every year. You then have to remember to opt out, again. So the only people who will benefit are those who want to use it to spam us or worse.

That's not in our interests as individuals or the general public. Nor is it in the interests of local or national government. In fact more than three years ago an investigation from the Information Commissioner reccommended that it be abolished and pretty much everyone agreed - including local government.

Sadly it's still there, and it's still set up in such away that it will trip you up.

You have been warned.

On a lighter note, a Google search revealed this page - check out the font size of the text beneath the "What is the Edited Register" heading!! :D

Electoral Register & 'Opting-Out' of the Edited Register - 22/11/06 - Data Protection Commissioner - Ireland
 
Naaa... the spammers already got our details from the DVLA :D
 
Every year you should get an annual electoral register form, so you can confirm who's eligible to vote in your household.

Every form I've ever seen encourages you to simply confirm if nothing has changed since last time. What do you think "no change" means? Same as last year? Me too.

It seems not. Even if you opted out of the Edited Electoral Register last year (or at any time) then this will not be carried forward to this years form, meaning that you have to remember to check the box to opt out again. Not really no change then.
Just done mine, the details remained exactly as they were, including the opt out selection.
 
Just done mine, the details remained exactly as they were, including the opt out selection.

Inconsistency between authorities, even better!!

Best check every time.
 

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