Electoral Administration Act 2006

Infobox UK Legislation
short_title=Electoral Administration Act 2006
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 Harmancite web|url=http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmhansrd/vo051011/debtext/51011-10.htm#51011-10_head0|title=HC Hansard Vol. 437 No. 42 Col. 169|date=2005-10-11|accessdate=2008-06-30]
territorial_extent=England and Wales; Scotland; Northern Ireland
royal_assent=11 July 2006
commencement=Multiple datescite web|url=http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2008/uksi_20081316_en_2|title=The Electoral Administration Act 2006 (Commencement No.7) Order 2008 No. 1316 (C. 55)|date=2008-05-13|publisher=Office of Public Sector Information|accessdate=2008-06-30]
repeal_date=
amendments=
related_legislation=
repealing_legislation=
status=Not_fully_in_force
original_text=http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2006/20060022.htm
activeTextDocId=2570471
legislation_history=http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/pabills/200506/electoral_administration.htm|The Electoral Administration Act 2006 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, passed on 11 July 2006. The Bill was amended during its passage through the House of Lords to require political parties to declare large loans; this followed the "Cash for Peerages" scandal. However, the Government was defeated by Conservative peers in the House of Lords on two occasions in connection with electoral registration.

The Bill went back to the House of Commons, where it was again passed. On return to the Lords, the government was defeated for a second time, whilst the Commons passed it once more. When the Bill went back before the Lords for the third time on 10 July it was finally passed, and went on to receive Royal Assent the following day. Some of its provisions came into effect upon it receiving assent, [per Section 77 of the Act] with other provisions commencing on other dates. As of June 2008 the Act is not yet fully in force.

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 [duly extended to three years per Statutory Instrument 2006 No. 3406; http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2006/uksi_20063406_en.pdf] ) of a "service declaration" by which qualified persons may have their names placed on the electoral register as "service voters"; the Act also imposes new duties upon the Ministry of Defence

ee also

* Coordinated Online Register of Electors

References

External links

* [http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2006/20060022.htm OPSI: Electoral Administration Act 2006]
* [http://www.dca.gov.uk/legist/electadmin.htm Department for Constitutional Affairs - Legislation - Electoral Administration Act 2006]
* [http://electoralreform.wikicities.com/wiki/Electoral_Administration_Act_(UK) Article about the Act from the Electoral Reform Wikicity]
* [http://www.parliament.uk/commons/lib/research/notes/snpc-04276.pdf House of Commons Library - Armed Forces Voting]
* [http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2006/20063412.htm Statutory Instrument 2006 No. 3412 (C. 128)] , a Statutory Instrument issued by the Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs, 18th December 2006, bringing much of the Act into legal effect
* [http://www.tobysjames.com/phd.html Research on Electoral Administration in UK]