This an minimal, read-only version of the original Stop Junk Mail website.
Electoral register
Diary of a junk mail campaigner
I was on Your and Yours today to talk about the open electoral register.
The Representation of the People Regulations have been updated. The edited register has been renamed the open register, and local electoral registration offices now need to provide the public with statutory propaganda information about the sale of voters' personal data.
The Daily Mail has discovered that electoral registration office sell an edited version of the electoral register to junk mail companies. They also got their figures wrong – again.
In 2009, Government announced a consultation on the future of the edited register. They promised that not reforming the practice of selling voters' personal details wasn't an option. Move forward three years, and Government has quietly announced that the consultation has been binned.
The Express has discovered that councils are selling an edited version of the electoral roll to anyone prepared to pay a small fee – nine years after this practice was enshrined in law.
Dr Junk Buster
Last year I opted out of being on the edited register yet I find my name and address on 192.com. Can I get this removed, and is the council liable?
Can I opt out of the 'edited electoral register' online, and if so how?
I fill in my electoral role each year and always tick the opt out box. It would appear that my council say they did not recieve it this year and as a result have sold last years data and I now appear on the edited register and am trying to find out if they can legally sell my data without my consent like this?
I have received several election leaflets and letters directly addressed to me and recently I had some bloke from the Labour party phoning me (and there wasn't even an election going on either!). I checked electoral law and contacted the electoral commission but the law is really woolly. It says that election candidates can have a copy of the electoral register and use it for electoral purposes. But it doesn't explicitly state what those purposes are. I would argue that using my personal details to send me letters and then using my phone number to phone me especially when its not actually during an election is in clear breach of the law.
Guide to stamping out junk mail
When you complete your annual electoral registration form you have the option to opt out of having your personal details included on the open electoral register. It's important to tick the opt-out box on the form.