Guide to using voters rolls
About this guide
Voters rolls, also known as electoral registers, record the names of people at particular addresses who are entitled to vote. This guide provides information about the electoral registers we have here at the Library and how you can use them.
Voters rolls at the Library
Our collection includes almost every electoral register from 1946 onwards.
Since 2003, there have been two versions of the electoral register. There is the full register, and the edited version, which is also known as the 'open register'. We only have copies of the full register. You can read more about the different kinds of electoral registers on the Information Commissioner's Office website.
We receive the full electoral register for Scotland in print and electronic format. For technical reasons, we can only provide access to the printed format (under supervision).
Accessing and using our voters rolls
In person access
You can consult the printed electoral registers in person at our George IV Bridge building in Edinburgh. Before you visit, get in touch with any details that you have, such as the person’s name, address, town or city, and relevant years. This will help us locate the right volume of the register so we can have it ready for your visit.
There are certain restrictions on viewing the registers.
Access by online enquiry
We can consult a register on your behalf and provide information through our online enquiry service in cases where the register is more than ten years old. Before we can provide details from the full electoral register, you will need to confirm that you accept the conditions of access to this information. This includes following data protection rules.
If the register was published within the last ten years, you will need to visit the Library in person to consult the registers under supervision.
Conditions of access
Viewing the electoral registers and using information from them is strictly controlled by legislation. When viewing or using information from the register, it's your responsibility to make sure you follow the relevant legislation. If you do not observe the relevant legislation, you could be committing a criminal offence.
However you access the registers, you must follow data protection rules. For more information, see our guide to using personal data from our collections.
If you look at the registers in person:
You can only view the registers in the Library and under supervision by a Library staff member.
You can make handwritten notes when you view a register. However, you cannot make any copies, take photographs or reproduce anything in the registers.
Different restrictions apply to the use of registers first published within the last ten years than to those that are more than ten years old. If a register is more than ten years old, subject to the following conditions, the Library can provide information from them:
Information from the registers must only be obtained for archiving purposes in the public interest, scientific or historical purposes, or statistical purposes.
Information obtained must not be processed for the purposes of measures or to make decisions with respect to particular individuals.
Information obtained must not be processed in such a way that will cause substantial damage and distress to any individual.
Relevant legislation
Relevant legislation includes the following:
Representation of the People (Scotland) Regulations 2001 (as amended, including by the Representation of the People (Scotland) (Amendment) Regulations 2002 and 2006), in particular Regulation 96
Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001
This guide has been produced based on this legislative framework. However, information provided by the National Library of Scotland is not intended as, and should not be construed as, legal advice. If you need legal advice please consult a legal professional.
Police use of our electoral registers
If you work for the police and you need to consult or obtain information from registers held by the Library, you are subject to the same restrictions as other individuals. This is detailed in the section of this guide called 'Accessing and using our voters rolls'.
Regulations 101 and 108 of the Representation of the People (Scotland) Regulations 2001 (as amended) provide for the supply of electoral registers to police forces for the purposes of the prevention and detection of crime and the enforcement of the criminal law. However, these regulations relate to the supply to the police of the registers by a registration officer, not to the use by the police of electoral registers held by the Library. Police can seek copies of the registers by contacting the relevant electoral registration office.
Contact us
If you have an enquiry about use of the Library's electoral registers, you can contact our Data Protection Officer. To contact them:
Email: privacy@nls.uk
Write to:
Data Protection Officer
National Library of Scotland
George IV Bridge
Edinburgh
EH1 1EW
Scotland, UK
Tel: +44(0)131 623 3700