Anonymous registration

What is anonymous registration?

Anonymous registration was set up to help individuals whose safety would be at risk (or where the safety of other people at the same address as them would be at risk) if their name or address was listed on the electoral register – for example, a person who has fled domestic abuse.

 

How registering anonymously works

All voters are required to give basic personal information to the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) so that they can check that they are eligible to register to vote. The difference between a standard and an anonymous registration is how these details then appear on the register of electors and how we communicate with you.

 

How do I make an application to register anonymously?

To register anonymously, contact us at electoralservices@carmarthenshire.gov.uk or call us on 01267 228889 and we will send you an application. Anonymous applications to register cannot currently be completed online.

You will need to explain briefly why your safety (or the safety of someone in the same household as you) would be at risk if their name and address appeared on the register of electors (for example, you fear that any disclosure of your address could increase your risk). You also need to provide documentary evidence to support your application, comprising of either:

1. a court order; or
2. a written attestation

 

What supporting evidence needs to be provided with an anonymous registration application?

All applications must include evidence that the applicant’s safety or the safety of someone in their household would be put at risk if their name and address appeared on the register. The list of supporting documents can be found on the Electoral Commission’s website.

OR an attestation (statement) from a qualifying officer supporting the application in writing and signed.  A qualifying officer can be any of the following:

• a refuge manager
• a registered medical practitioner e.g. GP
• a registered nurse or midwife
• a police officer of or above the rank of inspector in any police force in the UK
• Director General of the Security Services or the National Crime Agency
• Director of Adult Social Services or Children’s Services in Wales,
• a Director of Social Services in Wales,
• a Chief Social Worker in Scotland (who may authorise in writing another person to attest an application for a person aged under 16)
• a Director of Social Services of a Health and Social Services Board or an  Executive Director of Social Work of a Health and Social Services Trust in England or Wales. 

 

How long does an anonymous registration remain valid?

Registration lasts for 12 months from the day the anonymous entry is first made on the register. After the 12-month period is up, you will need to re-register anonymously, but we will contact you to advise what you need to do.

 

How does an anonymously registered elector cast their vote at an election?

An anonymously registered elector has the same options for voting at an election as other electors. They can vote in person at a polling station, or they can apply to vote by post or by proxy.

If you vote in person, you will receive a poll card before the election. The poll card will be sent in a covering envelope, but you must take this poll card to the polling station and will not be able to vote without it.

If you want to vote by post or by proxy, you will need to complete a separate application form for this.

 

Providing Photographic Evidence in the Polling Station

From May 2023, electors are required to show photographic ID before they are issued with a ballot paper at a polling station for Parliamentary and Police and Crime Commissioner elections only. As an anonymous elector, we will need to provide you with an Anonymous Elector's Document which will allow you to vote at a polling station for these election types and you will also need to complete this application process and provide us with a photo.