Electoral Services Privacy Notice

The Electoral Services Section at Gosport Borough Council is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. For the purpose of the 2018 General Data Protection Regulation, the Data Controller is (depending on the service) either the Electoral Registration Officer (for registration matters), or the Returning Officer (for election matters), Gosport Borough Council, Town Hall, High Street, Gosport, Hampshire, PO12 1EB.

When you contact the Electoral Services Team, we are likely to ask you for certain personal information in order to be able to assist with your enquiry. Some of this information will need to be recorded and stored on our systems. This Privacy Notice aims to explain:

1. The different kinds of personal data we process
2. How we use your data
3. How we store your data
4. Why we process your data
5. When and why we share your information
6. The legal grounds for processing your information

1. What kind of personal data do we process?

We might have to collect certain personal information from you, for example: your name, address, national insurance number, date of birth, nationality or the reason why you require a postal or proxy vote. For registration issues, if we are unable to verify your identity using your date of birth and national insurance number, we might request further evidence from you such as copies of your passport or driving licence.

2. How we use your data

We use your information in a variety of ways:

• to process applications for registration;
• to process applications for postal or proxy votes;
• to check eligibility to stand as candidates in elections;
• to check eligibility to nominate candidates for elections;
• for purposes of employing staff (for both electoral registration and elections purposes).

3. How we store your data

The information we collect for the purpose of registration is added to the Register of Electors database, which is held by the Electoral Registration Officer at Gosport Borough Council. Information collected from staff employed at elections, candidates and nominators is held by the Returning Officer at Gosport Borough Council.

The retention period for the documents and data we hold -  Electoral Services Data Retention Policy (PDF) [22KB]

4. Why we process your data

We are required by law to prepare an accurate register of electors and to manage elections. Specifically, we process your data:

• to enable you to vote in elections (at the polling stations; by post or by proxy);
• to enable you to stand for election or to support a candidate at an election;
• to enable you to work at an election or as an electoral registration canvasser.

5. When and why we share your information

Sometimes, in order to enable the functions set out in paragraph 4, we need to share the information that you give us for checking your eligibility to register, either with other departments within Gosport Borough Council, or the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP). We are also required to share your information with the Electoral Registration Officers of other Authorities if you move into or out of the Borough of Gosport's area. The full version of the electoral register must, by law, be made available for public inspection and must be provided to the bodies and individuals listed here.

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 DWP 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

The providers of our electoral registration and elections management system may also process your information, but only on our instructions. They will not use it for any other reasons, and are subject to the same privacy requirements as the Council.

Our printing contractor will also use your information but only on our instructions and only for electoral registration and elections purposes.

We will keep your information for a set period of time, known as the retention period. When the retention period expires we will delete your information from our records.

Sometimes we are required by law to share information with other authorities, organisations or people. This would be for the prevention or detection of crime, or because of legal proceedings, for example.

Unless you choose to "opt out" of your name appearing on the "open" register, it will appear on the "open" register, copies of which must, by law, be provided to any person or body on the payment of a statutory fee.

6. What are the legal grounds for processing your information?

We process your information on one of the following grounds:

1. to comply with the legal obligations placed upon the Electoral Registration Officer and on the Returning Officer;
2. where it is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the publicinterest;
3. with your consent.

We may process special categories of data, such as nationality information, on one of the following grounds:

1. with your explicit consent;
2. it is necessary for obligations under employment, social security law, etc.;
3. there is substantial public interest.

If you have any concerns relating to this or your privacy in general, please e-mail the Electoral Services Team on electoral.registration@gosport.gov.uk.

Gosport Borough Council's Data Protection privacy notice

More Information

For more information on Data Protection in general, or if you wish to make a complaint relating to how your personal data has been used, please contact the Information Commissioner's Office:

Website: https://ico.org.uk/

Phone helpline: 0303 123 1113