WIKIOpen Register
Background
This is of national relevance, but came to light when Mid Sussex District Council, in a letter dated 18 July 2014, wrote to registered electors with the subject, Your vote matters. The way you register to vote is changing.
The letter begins as follows: "The way you register to vote is changing. I'm writing to let you know that you have been automatically re-registered under the new system.
"You don't need to do anything else, but if you have any queries about your registration you can contact us using the details above. You won't need to register again unkess your entitlement to be registered changes. You should let us know if you change your name or if you move house."
So far, so good. The third paragraph of the letter is as follows:
"Your details are on the open register. To be removed from the open register please contact us using the details at the top of this letter. Please see below for more information about what this means.
The letter then goes on to explain that there are two registers: the electoral register and the open register (also known as the edited register).
According to the letter, "The open register is an extract of the electoral register, but 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 would not affect your right to vote."
The first question that springs to mind: Why has notification of this been sneaked into a letter that, on the face of it, appears to be an FYI about changes in the electoral registration system, and which states early on, "You don't need to do anything else"?
The letter closes with the following: "You do not need to take any further action, but if you would like more information about the changes being made to the electoral registration system please visit www.gov.uk/yourvotematters"
Action
Although the letter advises contacting the Council directly to register a request for non-inclusion in the open register, the Your Vote Matters link has instructions for doing so online, as part of the registration process (you will need to provide your National Insurance number).
Comment
Inclusion in the open register should not be automatic. It should be an opt-in choice for each registered voter.