Electoral Administration Act 2006 Explained
| Parliament: | Parliament of the United Kingdom |
| Long Title: | An Act to make provision in relation to the registration of electors and the keeping of electoral registration information; standing for election; the administration and conduct of elections and referendums; and the regulation of political parties. |
| Statute Book Chapter: | 2006 c. 22 |
| Introduced By: | Harriet Harman[1] |
| Territorial Extent: | England and Wales; Scotland; Northern Ireland |
| Royal Assent: | 11 July 2006 |
| Commencement: | Multiple dates[2] |
| Amends: | Act of Settlement 1701 |
| Status: | Amended |
| Original Text: | http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/22/contents/enacted |
| Legislation History: | https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/pabills/200506/electoral_administration.htm |
| Revised Text: | http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/22/contents |
The Electoral Administration Act 2006 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, passed on 11 July 2006.
Among its main provisions, the Act:
- Provides a legislative framework for setting up a "Coordinated Online Record of Electors", known as "CORE", to co-ordinate electoral registration information across regions.
- Creates new criminal offences for supplying false electoral registration details or for failure to supply such details.
- Allows people to register anonymously on electoral registers if a 'safety test' is passed.
- Requires local authorities to review all polling stations, and to provide a report on the reviews to the Electoral Commission.
- Provides for the making of signature and date of birth checks on postal vote applications.
- Revises the law on "undue influence".
- Allows observers to monitor elections (with the exception of Scottish local government elections, which are the responsibility of the Scottish Parliament).
- Reduces the age of candidacy for public elections from 21 to 18.
- Allows for alterations to ballot paper designs, including the introduction of barcodes and pilot schemes for the introduction of photographs on ballot papers.
- Allows citizens of the Republic of Ireland and certain Commonwealth residents the right to stand in elections.
- Changes rules on how elections are run in the event of the death of a candidate, following the events in South Staffordshire at the 2005 general election.
- Provides for the entitlement of children to accompany parents and carers into polling stations.
- Bars candidates from using in their name or description expressions such as "Don't vote for them" or "None of the above".
- Bars candidates from standing in more than one constituency at the same election.
- Allows political parties up to 12 separate descriptions to be used on ballot papers, and allows joint candidature.
- Requires local authorities to promote and encourage electoral registration and voting.
- Amongst other provisions affecting members of the armed forces and other persons with a "service qualification", allows the Secretary of State to extend the period of validity (previously one year) of a "service declaration" by which qualified persons may have their names placed on the electoral register as "service voters";[3] the Act also imposes new duties upon the Ministry of Defence.
- Removes the requirement for an observer to witness the signing of the security statement of a postal vote.
- Requires political parties to declare large loans. This provision was introduced as an amendment, surviving much parliamentary ping-pong, following the "Cash for Peerages" scandal.
Some of its provisions came into effect upon it receiving assent,[4] with other provisions commencing on other dates.[2]
Coordinated Online Record of Electors
The proposed Coordinated Online Record of Electors[5] was never established, and plans for it were shelved by the coalition government in 2011.[6] The legal framework was later repealed by the Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013.
External links
Notes and References
- Web site: HC Hansard Vol. 437 No. 42 Col. 169. 11 October 2005. 2008-06-30.
- si . The Electoral Administration Act 2006 (Commencement No. 7) Order 2008 . 1316 . 2008 . 13 May 2008 . 25 January 2022.
- This power was exercised in 2006 to extend the period to three years. si . 2006 . 3406 . The Service Voters' Registration Period Order 2006 . 25 January 2022.
- per Section 77 of the Act
- Web site: The Co-ordinated Online Record of Electors (CORE) – The implementation of national access arrangements . CP 29/05 . Department for Constitutional Affairs . 14 December 2005 . 9 August 2023.
- Web site: £11 million saved as electors database plan abandoned . Government of the United Kingdom . en . 18 July 2011.
