Background
Our core data protection obligations and commitments are set in the council’s primary privacy notice.
This notice provides additional privacy information as regards electoral services for:
- to maintain an accurate and complete Register of Electors
- to allow you to vote in elections
- candidates standing in elections
Purpose
We collect your personal information for the following purposes:
- to undertake our statutory obligation to ensure that all eligible persons in South Ribble are registered to vote
- to enable eligible persons to stand as candidates in elections in accordance with statutory requirements
The data we will collect
This notice covers the data we collect in respect of the candidate/agents and the voter ID/postal/proxy systems. This includes records of potential and actual electors, voters, citizens, candidates and their agents and staff currently and previously employed by the Electoral Registration Officer/Returning Officer. These may be paper records or stored electronically.
These records may include the following personal data
- name
- address (current, previous, or redirected)
- date of birth
- nationality
- email (optional)
- telephone number (optional)
- contact details (telephone numbers and email addresses)
- unique identifiers (such as National Insurance numbers)
- signatures
- proof of identity / address
- copies of your correspondence sent to us
- whether you have opted out of appearing on the open version of the register
- electoral duties, including job history and performance
- party affiliation details (candidates)
- spending details (candidates)
Special category data
- personal data revealing racial or ethnic origin.
- health information
How do we collect information about you
We collect information about you from you directly (for example by asking you to complete one of our forms, via the telephone through our contact centre or face-to-face).
We may also obtain your information from other sources such as:
- your family members, carers or other persons acting on your behalf
- internal council departments
- other public authorities, such as Department for Work and Pension
We may share your data with Chorley Council as part of the shared services arrangements.
Lawful basis for processing
We will process your data in accordance with UK GDPR Article 6(1)(c) which allows us to process your data for compliance with a legal obligation to enable us to process your data to provide an electoral service under the following legislation:
- Representation of the People Act 1983
- Representation of the People Act 1985
- Representation of the People Act 2000
- Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001
- Electoral Administration Act 2006
- Local Elections (Principal Areas) (England and Wales) Rules 2006
- Local Elections (Parish and Communities) (England and Wales) Rules 2006
- Representation of the People (Annual Canvass) (Amendment) Regulations 2019
- Elections Act 2022
Data retention, storage and destruction
Our data retention policies and procedures are designed to help ensure that we comply with our legal obligations in relation to the retention. This means that your information will be kept in accordance with statutory requirements which is documented in our Retention schedule. For further information about specific retention dates please contact us.
Who can we share your data with
Using data received from the public, registration officers keep two registers – the electoral (full) register and the open register (also known as the edited register).
The electoral register lists the names and addresses of everyone who is registered to vote in public elections. The register is used for electoral purposes, such as making sure that only eligible people can vote. It is also used for other limited purposes specified in law, such as
- detecting crime (such as fraud)
- calling people for jury service
- checking credit applications
The electoral register is published once a year (usually on 1 December) and is updated regularly throughout the year. The current version of the electoral (full) register can only be supplied to a specific set of people and organisations, who are entitled to obtain the register from us.
The use of the electoral (full) register is set out in legislation, and it is an offence for it to be used for any purpose other than that for which it was supplied. It is a crime for anyone who has a copy of the full register to pass data from this register on to others, if they do not have a lawful reason to see it.
A full list of people who can access the register and the ways in which they can use your data can be found on The Electoral Commission website.
Anyone can inspect the full register.
- inspection will be made under supervision
- they can take extracts from the register, but only as handwritten notes
- data must not be used for direct marketing purposes unless it has been published in the open register
- anyone who fails to observe these conditions is committing a criminal offence
The open register is an extract of the electoral (full) 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 want to remove your name and address from the open register please visit the electoral and open register.
We will also have to disclose (share) your data with our software providers and contracted printers. They will only use it under our instruction, and for the purpose of allowing us to discharge our statutory duties. They won’t use it for any other reasons and will securely dispose of the data once they no longer require it.
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 (IER) - GOV.UK Service.
In addition, we will share your personal data:
- where such disclosure is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which we are subject
- in order to protect your vital interests or the vital interests of another natural person
- for the purposes of security and prevention of fraud and other criminal activity
- where such disclosure is necessary for the establishment, exercise, or defence of legal claims, whether in court proceedings or in an administrative or out-of-court procedure
Your rights as a data subject
As a data subject, you have a number of rights. You can:
- access and obtain a copy of your data on request
- require the council to change incorrect or incomplete data require the council to delete or stop processing your data, for example where the data is no longer necessary for the purposes of processing; this does not apply where the council has a statutory requirement to process your data
- object to the processing of your data where the council is solely relying on legitimate interests as the legal ground for processing; and
- ask the council to stop processing data for a period if data is inaccurate or there is a dispute about whether or not your interests override the council's legitimate grounds for processing data.
Complaints
We do our best to comply with all the relevant legislation concerning the treatment of your personal information. If you think we've got something wrong, please contact us by email to elections@southribble.gov.uk or phoning 01772 625625 and we will investigate your complaint.
The council also has a formal complaints system, and if you prefer you can use our formal complaints procedure.
If you are not satisfied with the way we have answered a request from you or handled your personal information, you have the right to make a complaint to the Information Commissioner.
This right is not dependant on you raising a complaint with us first but we would encourage you to contact our Data Protection Officer so we can consider your concerns as quickly as possible.
Updates
We may update or revise this Privacy Notice at any time but the most up to date version will always be published here.