Registration - Grampian Assessor & ERO

The Electoral Registration Officer (ERO)

The ERO is an official appointed by the local authority to prepare and maintain the Register of Electors. Mark J Adam is the ERO for Grampian. He was appointed by the Grampian Valuation Joint Board on behalf of Aberdeen City Council, Aberdeenshire Council and Moray Council. Mark is also the Assessor for Grampian.

If you don’t live in Grampian you can find the contact details for your Electoral Registration Officer by clicking on the button below.

Search for my Electoral Registration Officer

Register Updates

The current version of the Register came into force on 1 December 2022 and is updated on a monthly basis to reflect changes in people’s circumstances as they occur. For example, if you move house and notify us of the change early in March, your name could be added to the Register on 1 April.

You can use the online registration service at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote to register to vote. You can also contact our offices by phone or email, click Contact Details, we can take your details over the telephone and get you registered.

Click below to view the monthly timetable for updates to the register.

View monthly updates timetable

Annual Canvass

For more information, see here

Can I register?

To be registered to vote you must be:

You must be aged 16 or over (or 14 or over in Scotland).You must also be one of the following:
- a British citizen
- an Irish or EU citizen living in the UK
- a Commonwealth citizen who has permission to enter or stay in the UK, or who does not need permission
- a citizen of another country living in Scotland who has permission to enter or stay in the UK, or who does not need permission

You can use the online registration service at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote to register to vote. You can also click on the contact option and telephone one of our offices, we can take your details over the telephone and get you registered. You can vote in Scottish Parliament and local government elections as soon as you are 16 years old. Once you are 18 you can vote in Westminster Parliament elections too if you are a British, Irish or qualifying Commonwealth citizen.

If you are not a British, Irish or qualifying Commonwealth citizen you are not entitled to vote in Westminster Parliamentary elections.

Special category electors such as overseas British citizens or crown servants and service personnel can also register online at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote . People who believe that their safety may be at risk if their name was to appear in a published register may apply to be considered for anonymous registration. You should write to the ERO if you want to apply for anonymous registration.

Click here for a list of Commonwealth countries and European Union Member States. Commonwealth citizens that require leave to enter or remain in Britain must have this consent from the UK authorities prior to registering to vote.

Citizens of the European Union may only register as local government and Scottish Parliamentary electors.

Cyprus and Malta are Commonwealth countries, in addition to being EU states. Membership of the EU therefore has no effect on the status of their citizens, who can continue to register to vote in elections for local government, the Westminster Parliament and the Scottish Parliament, as appropriate, in the way that they have done in the past. (The same position obtains for Irish Citizens).

The whole of Cyprus is considered to be a Commonwealth country. The Electoral Commission for the UK advises that citizens of Cyprus holding a passport from either the Republic of Cyprus or the Republic of Northern Cyprus are entitled to be included in the register of electors as Commonwealth citizens. However, anyone with a Turkish passport is entitled to register for local government and Scottish Parliament elections only and will not be treated as a Commonwealth citizen entitled to vote in Westminster Parliament elections.

Citizens of countries that are suspended from the Commonwealth or no longer members of the Commonwealth (such as Zimbabwe) retain their right to participate in elections in the UK.

British Overseas Territories citizens are treated as Commonwealth citizens and are entitled to register in respect of all elections providing they satisfy the age and residency requirements and are not subject to any legal incapacity to prevent them registering. Unlike British citizens who are living overseas, they are not entitled to register as Overseas Electors.

Special citizenship arrangements were made in respect of Hong Kong, prior to its transfer to Chinese administration on 1 July 1997. Essentially holders of British passports may register in the same way as Commonwealth citizens.

European Union citizens do not have the right to vote at Westminster Parliamentary elections.

A note on the use of the term British nationality and citizenship

Some of our service users have asked why some automated registration systems do not permit nationality to be given as ‘Scottish’, ‘English’, ‘Welsh’ of ‘Northern Irish’.

The reason is that electoral law is extremely precise – so that there can be no grey areas over who can or cannot register to vote – an extremely important aspect given that the electoral registers are often considered to be the foundation stone of the parliamentary and local government democracy.

The legal ‘small print’ behind the nationality question is provided below –

The Representation of the People Act of 1983 sets out the franchise for the Westminster parliamentary registers. Section 1(1)(c) is reproduced below –

Section 1

(1) A person is entitled to vote as an elector at a parliamentary election in any constituency if on

the date of the poll he—

(a) is registered in the register of parliamentary electors for that constituency;

(b) is not subject to any legal incapacity to vote (age apart);

(c) is either a Commonwealth citizen or a citizen of the Republic of Ireland….

The 1983 Act is a statute from the Parliament for the United Kingdom. The UK is a member of the Commonwealth and citizens of the UK are entitled to be registered to vote on this basis.

In turn, The British Nationality Act sets out in law who is entitled to be treated as a British citizen, for example at section 1 (1) that Act states that ‘A person born in the United Kingdom after commencement […., or in a qualifying territory on or after the appointed day,] shall be a British citizen if at the time of the birth his father or mother is—(a) a British citizen; or (b) settled in the United Kingdom […or that territory].

Essentially from these statutes we have a situation where electoral law requires electors to be Commonwealth citizens or citizens of the Irish Republic (EU citizenship and Foreign National were subsequently added for local government registers and the registers used for Scottish Parliamentary elections); the UK is a member of the Commonwealth; and we have UK citizenship legally defined under the British Nationality Act.

For this reason, the systems that we use ask for the nationality that is defined in law – as opposed to what an individual may prefer to describe as their nationality – such as English, Scottish, Welsh or Northern Irish. This is simply due to the fact that the franchise is legally defined in extremely specific terms and we need to adopt the same degree of precision when it comes to maintaining the register of electors.

People born or indeed living in Scotland may consider themselves to be Scottish, but there will be examples where despite their place of birth or habitation being in Scotland, they may not be legally entitled to be a British or Commonwealth citizen and therefore in turn will not be entitled to be registered to vote under the 1983 Act in Westminster parliamentary elections.

Overseas Electors

Overseas voter changes – FAQ

What has changed?

In the past, British citizens were only eligible to vote in UK Parliament elections if they had previously been registered in the UK and living abroad for less than 15 years.

From January 2024, there is no longer a time limit. Voters that have previously lived or been registered to vote in the UK now have the right to vote in UK parliament elections.

What are the eligibility rules?

British citizens, which includes eligible Irish citizens and citizens of Crown Dependencies, may register as overseas voters if they are now living abroad, providing they:

were previously registered to vote in the UK, either before they left the UK or as an overseas voter; or
were previously resident in the UK.

Overseas British citizens must apply to register as a voter using the address where they were last registered to vote in the UK or, if they have never been registered, the last address at which they were resident in the UK.

What if voters have been registered at more than one address in the past?

If an applicant has been previously registered at more than one address, they use the most recent address at which they were registered.

How do voters register?

Overseas voters can apply to register in the same way as any other voter. They can apply online at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote or by sending a paper form to the relevant local authority (or electoral registration office if their address was in Scotland). Some local authorities and electoral registration offices may also accept applications by telephone. Contact details are available to search on the Electoral Commission website.

Those who were previously registered will have to provide details about the address and time they were last registered.

Those who previously lived in the UK, but were not registered, will need to provide details about the address and time where they were last resident.

How do overseas voters prove those details?

Electoral Registration Officers in Scotland are responsible for the electoral roll in their area. They must be satisfied that the applicant was registered or lived in the area previously, and must be able to verify an applicant’s identity.

Electoral Registration Officers have a number of resources for verifying this information, including checking previous registers, other locally-held records, or evidence provided by the applicant.

How often do overseas voters need to register?

Under the new rules, overseas voters need to provide a renewal declaration every three years. Previously, it was every 12 months. A renewal declaration confirms that the details held on the electoral register are accurate and provides an opportunity to update correspondence details if necessary.

Registration will need to be renewed before 1 November, three years after the voter registered as an overseas voter, unless the voter has successfully renewed their voter registration in the meantime. So, if a British citizen living overseas applies to vote in March 2024, they will need to renew their application before 1 November 2026.

How can overseas electors cast their vote?

Registered overseas voters can apply to vote by post or by proxy. They can also vote in person if they will be in the UK on polling day. They cannot, however, vote in person at a British embassy, high commission or consulate.

Are overseas voters allowed to donate money to UK political parties?

Yes, under electoral law, those on an electoral register are also permitted to donate to political parties and campaigners campaigning in UK elections.

Download application forms

HM Forces

Members of the armed forces (and spouses or civil partners) may register as ordinary electors at their home address in Grampian using www.gov.uk/register-to-vote If however, they are posted away from home, they can register specifically as HM Forces personnel using the same website www.gov.uk/register-to-vote

Children who are under 18 and accompanying their parent or guardian who is a member of HM Forces and posted overseas can also register to vote if they will be 16 during the following 12 months. The registration lasts for 12 months or until they are 18 (whichever comes first). You will need to contact us direct as such applications cannot be handled by the UK website.

If you decide to register as an ordinary elector, you will be registered as an elector at your address in Grampian for the duration of the register (which is usually published every December) in the same manner as most other citizens. If you register using the HM Forces personnel registration form, your registration will however last for 5 years.

Regardless of whether you are registered as an ordinary elector or Forces personnel, if you are posted away from home you may apply to vote by post or proxy.

Due to the difficulties faced by returning officers in sending postal ballot papers overseas and the electors then returning their ballots in time for the poll, overseas electors are strongly recommended to appoint a UK-based proxy. That proxy need not however be resident in the locality of the elector’s registration as they can vote on the overseas elector’s behalf by post.

Click the button below for a list of forms from which you can select an application to vote by post, proxy or for a proxy to vote by post. Please note that these forms must be printed out, completed and signed, and then returned to us as we need a signature for postal and proxy voting.

Download application forms

Homeless - Prisoners - Mental Health Patients

A person who has no fixed address can still register to vote by completing a Declaration of Local Connection form. This can be used by homeless people, some prisoners and mental health patients in hospital (but not detained because of criminal activity).

The Declaration lasts for 12 months and then lapses if not renewed by the elector. We send a reminder and a new application form to the elector between 9 and 10 months from the date on which the entry on the Register took effect.

Prisoners are entitled to register to vote as local government electors if they have been convicted for a total term of 12 months or less.

More details on Prisoners

Prisoners are entitled to register to vote as local government electors if they have been convicted for a total term of 12 months or less.

Where a person is already included on the electoral register before their conviction, they may continue to be registered at that address, providing they intend to return to live there following their release and they are not prevented from doing so by any court order. Alternatively, a person can be deemed to have continued residence at an address if it is a permanent place of residence and the person would be in actual residence if it were not for their detention.

If a person is not deemed to have continued residence at their registered address, they may register by means of a Declaration of Local Connection:

at the address in Scotland at which they would be living if they were not convicted, or
if they cannot give such an address:
- at an address in Scotland where they used to live before they were convicted, or
- if they were previously homeless, an address in Scotland where, or which is nearest to a place where, they commonly spent a substantial amount of time, or
- if they cannot give any address as described above, or can only give an address at which they are prevented from returning to live because of a court order:
- at the penal institution

In the case of prisoners registered as local government electors through a declaration of local connection, although their declaration is valid for 12 months, their restricted franchise only applies for the duration of their detention.

The Absent Voters' List

The list of people who are entitled to vote by post or by proxy may be inspected in our offices.

Postal voting is available to anyone, whatever the circumstances.

Proxy voting is available to people who cannot reasonably be expected to attend their polling station at elections because:

they suffer from a physical incapacity, or
their employment duties take them away from home, or
their attendance on a course of study takes them away from home.

Proxy voting for a particular poll is available to anybody who cannot reasonably be expected to attend their polling station at elections because they will be away from home temporarily on the date of the election.

Emergency Proxy Voting is available at short notice for people who are unable to vote at a particular election due to unforeseen reasons relating to their health, service, employment or occupation that only arise in the days immediately prior to an election. Contact us for further details.

Signatures and Dates of Birth must be provided by electors who apply to vote by post or proxy. In special circumstances, a signature waiver can be granted if we agree that a particular elector cannot provide a consistent signature. Persons appointed as proxies are only required to provide signatures and dates of birth if they wish to vote by post.

The signatures and dates of birth are called Personal Identifiers and are kept securely. They are used by Returning Officers running elections to check the signature and date of birth provided with electors’ completed postal ballot security statements.

Signatures have to be refreshed every 5 years. If you receive a form requesting you to provide a fresh sample signature but do not respond, you will lose your absent vote and will have to re-apply if you want to vote by post or proxy at a future election or referendum. If you can no longer provide a consistent signature you should contact us so that we can look into the possibility of waiving the requirement to provide a signature.

Forms Click below for a list of forms from which you can select an application to vote by post or proxy. A form is also available for persons appointed as proxies to vote by post. Please note that forms must be printed out, completed and returned to us.

Download application forms

The Electoral Commission

This public body was set up on 30 November 2000 under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000. It is independent of the Government, not connected to any political organisation and answerable to Parliament. It has a unique role in the UK’s constitution.

The Commission aims to gain public confidence and encourage people to take part in the democratic process within the UK by modernising the electoral process, promoting public awareness of electoral matters and regulating political parties. The Commission can be contacted at:

The Electoral Commission

3 Bunhill Row
London EC1Y 8YZ

Tel 020 7271 0500
Textphone 18001 020 7271 0500

info@electoralcommission.org.uk

The Electoral Commission

City Chambers
High Street
Edinburgh EH1 1YJ

Tel 0333 103 1928
infoscotland@electoralcommission.org.uk