Vale of Glamorgan Council
Cyngor Bro Morgannwg
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Electoral Services Privacy Notice

 

Privacy statement 

 

The Electoral Services collects and holds personal information for the purpose of registering your right to vote. You need to be registered to be able to vote in any election or referendum for which you are eligible. The Electoral Services manages the data held on the register of electors on behalf of the Electoral Registration Officer. Data held is also used for the purposes of elections and polls on behalf of the Returning Officer. The Electoral Registration Officer is the Data Controller.  


We process personal data because it is necessary to comply with our legal obligations under the Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013, the Representation of the People Act 1983 and the Representation of the People Regulations 2001. The law makes it compulsory to provide information to an Electoral Registration Officer for inclusion in the full register.

 

What information do we collect from you?

 

The Vale of Glamorgan Council collects and processes information to allow eligible electors to vote in elections. The Representation of the People Act 1983 requires us to provide an electoral service, therefore you must provide your personal information to us. 


All information collected will be processed in line with the requirements of the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018.


Such information may include:-

 

  • Name
  • Address
  • Date of birth
  • Email address
  • Nationality 
  • National insurance number
  • Telephone number
  • Reasons why you may require a postal or a proxy vote

We may require further evidence from you such as copies of your passport, marriage certificate or driving licence to verify your identity or to update the register of electors.

 

How do we collect your personal information?

 

Personal information may be collected by:-

  • via www.gov.uk/register-to-vote
  • email
  • telephone
  • website
  • face to face (via our employees)
  • other Council departments
  • paper form: 
  • Canvass Communication Form
  • Invitation to Register
  • Absent Voter Application
  • Change of Name form
  • Opt Out request form

 

Why do we collect this information?

 

To allow eligible electors to vote in elections. We are required by law to provide an electoral service. In order for us to do this, you must provide your personal information to us. The law that requires us to do this is the Representation of the People Act 1983.

 

 

What do we do with your information?

 

We use it for electoral purposes. 


The information collected will be processed in line with the requirements of the UK General Data Protection Regulation and Data Protection Act 2018. 

 

Sometimes we have to give it to other authorities, organisations or people. This would be for the prevention or detection of crime, or because of legal matters, for example. We don't need your consent to do this, but if we can, we'll let you know if we've passed your information on. 

 

 

Who might we share your information with?

Currently we share information with Cardiff Council Electoral Services for the purposes of managing cross boundary elections.  

 

Our software providers may also store your information, but only on our instructions. They will not use it for any other purpose, and they must hold it and treat it in the same way we would. You can view their privacy information https://www.registersecurely.com/Home/PrivacyPolicy

 

We may share information with other departments within the Vale of Glamorgan Council where the information is requested for the prevention and detection of a crime. This information is requested solely to comply with the Council’s statutory duties. The information will not be used for any other purpose. All staff who deal with such information are advised that it is a criminal offence to disclose or make use of any information provided under the terms of their request.

  

The provisions relating to the supply of the Register of Electors are contained within the Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001. It is an offence to contravene the provisions set out in the Regulations. A person found guilty of such an offence is liable on a summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale. 


We are required to provide copies of the full electoral register to certain organisations and individuals by law.  They may use it for their own reasons that are different to ours, but they still must hold and look after it in the same way. 

 

The full register is published once a year and is updated every month and can only be supplied to the following individuals and organisations: 

 

  • British Library 
  • National Library of Wales
  • Returning Officer for a Local Government Election
  • UK Statistics Authority (Office for National Statistics) 
  • Electoral Commission 
  • Boundary Commission for Wales
  • Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales
  • Jury Central Summoning Bureau 
  • Elected Representatives (MP, MS, Members of Senedd Cymru/Welsh Parliament, Local Councillors) 
  • Police and Crime Commissioner 
  • Candidates and their election agents standing for elections
  • Registered political parties including a recognised third party or permitted participant
  • Community Councils 
  • Police Forces and National Crime Agency 
  • Public library or local authority archives service 
  • Government departments and other bodies
  • Credit Reference Agencies 
  • National Fraud Initiative 

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 Digital Service.  You can find more information about this here:https://www.registertovote.service.gov.uk/register-to-vote/privacy 

 

Our printing companies will also use your information, but only on our instructions. They will not use it for any other reason, and they must look after it in the same way as we would. 


The Electoral Registration Department will review the privacy policy of any company we use for external printing before entering into a contract with them.  If you would like to view the privacy notice of any current printers please e-mail electoralregistration@valeofglamorgan.gov.uk with your request and we will send you the link to the current printer’s privacy notice. 


We will also share your information with Modern Democracy who provides the software to manage the electoral register on poll day as this allows polling staff to access the electoral register digitally using an iPad.


From time to time, we may be required or need to share your information with others who are not specifically referred to in this notice either because we are legally required to do so, or it is required in order for the Council to be able to carry out its public tasks. We will only do so if it is necessary.  

 

The Electoral Register is published once a year. When this is published the previous register is frozen and a copy is held in archive which is stored on our behalf at the Glamorgan Archives. Their Access Policy can be found at - https://glamarchives.gov.uk/about-us/our-policies/ 

 

You can visit Glamorgan Archives at:

Glamorgan Archives - Clos Parc Morgannwg, Leckwith, Cardiff, CF11 8AW

 

If you have opted to be included in the open register, by law, your information can be shared with anyone who requests it. Individuals and/or Organisations may use it for their own reasons that may be different to ours, but they still must look after it in the same way.  The electoral register can also be viewed at the Civic Offices by anyone who requests it. Inspection of the Electoral register is under supervision. Individuals can take handwritten notes but no copies or photographs can be taken of it. The information taken must not be used for direct marketing purposes, in accordance with data protection legislation, unless it has been published in the open version of the register. Anyone who fails to observe these conditions is committing a criminal offence and is liable on conviction to be charged a penalty of up to £5,000. 

 

You can choose whether or not to have your personal details included in the open version of the register; however, your information will be included unless you ask for them to be removed. Removing your details from the open register will not affect your right to vote.

 

How long do we keep hold of your information?

 

Applications and any documents supplied as part of an application by you are kept on file for the current electoral register year.  Applications in relation to previous electoral register years are archived electronically however paper copies are destroyed.  

 

Access to previous versions of the electoral register is not permitted at the Civic Offices however old copies are kept for electoral registration purposes. Local Authority libraries and archive services may allow inspection of older versions of the electoral register.  

 

The Council retains information in accordance with its retention policy.  A copy is available on its website, or you can obtain a copy by contacting the Democratic Services Department.  

 

Your rights

 

You are entitled to request a copy of any information about you that we hold. Any such requests must be made in writing to our Freedom of Information Unit.


Under data protection law, you have rights including:-

 

Your right of access - You have the right to ask us for copies of your personal information. 

 

Your right to rectification - You have the right to ask us to rectify personal information you think is inaccurate. You also have the right to ask us to complete information you think is incomplete. 

 

Your right to erasure - You have the right to ask us to erase your personal information in certain circumstances. 

 

Your right to restriction of processing - You have the right to ask us to restrict the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances. 

 

Your right to object to processing - You have the the right to object to the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.

 

Your right to data portability - You have the right to ask that we transfer the personal information you gave us to another organisation, or to you, in certain circumstances.


Where possible we will seek to comply with your request, but we may be required to hold or process information to comply with a legal requirement. 


Freedom of Information Unit

Vale of Glamorgan Council,

Civic Offices, 

Holton Road, 

Barry, 

CF63 4RU. 


Email address: FoiUnit@valeofglamorgan.gov.uk


The Council has a general Privacy Notice which sets out generally how it manages personal information, and a copy of this Privacy Notice can either be found on it’s website or you can obtain a copy by contacting the Information Governance Team via email DPO@valeofglamorgan.gov.uk 

 

How to make a complaint if you have any concerns

 

If you have any concerns about our use of your personal information, you can make a complaint to our Data Protection Officer, Vale of Glamorgan Council, Civic Offices, Holton Road, Barry, CF63 4RU or email DPO@valeofglamorgan.gov.uk

 

You can also complain to the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) if you are unhappy with how we have used your data.

 

The ICO’s address:            

Information Commissioner’s Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire

SK9 5AF

 

Helpline number: 0303 123 1113

ICO’s website: https://www.ico.org.uk