29 August 2008
Election officers believe companies should be legally prevented from gaining access to the personal details in the electoral register, according to a survey published this week.
The survey, conducted jointly by the Local Government Association and the Association of Electoral Administrators, shows that more than 98% of election officers believe the law should be changed to stop direct marketing companies buying access to an edited version of the register.
The survey backs up the conclusion of the government-commissioned Data Sharing Review led by information commissioner Richard Thomas and Mark Walport, director of the Wellcome Trust. Their July report also recommended stopping the sale of electoral registers.
Richard Kemp, LGA deputy chair, said town halls resented having to pass the electoral roll on to direct marketing companies. 'Most people hate junk mail and cold-calling and councils don't want to be a part of the process that generates money for junk mail companies in this way,' he said.
'Selling the electoral roll undermines democracy, dissuades people from voting and gives people the impression that the council is profiting from selling their personal information. Ministers must change the law to ban junk mail firms from getting their information through the electoral roll.'
The August 26 survey also revealed that 88% of election officers believe that the current system deters people from voting.
John Turner, chief executive of the Association of Electoral Administrators, said the survey results were not surprising. 'What is surprising is that, despite these and similar findings and the clear recommendation from the Data Sharing Review, there is still no real indication that the government will act to remove the need for an edited register and the use of electoral registration information for such purposes,' he said.
A Ministry of Justice spokeswoman said: 'We agree that measures need to be taken to increase public trust and confidence in the handling and processing of personal data by the public and private sectors.
'We will assess the recommendations in the Walport/Thomas report and issue a more detailed statement once we have had time to fully consider the implications and costs of bringing about such changes.'
PFaug2008
