Electoral registration: Penalties for providing false information or refusing to provide information

Where a person refuses to supply information to an Electoral Registration Officer, or provides the Officer with false information, certain penalties can be applied. This note provides details about the criminal and civil penalties that can be imposed in such circumstances.

Criminal penalties for failing to provide information, or providing false information have a long history – for example, a fine for not returning the canvass to the relevant officer was first introduced through the Representation of the People Act 1918.

The Government has recently introduced a power to impose civil penalties when an individual who has been required to make an application fails to do so (via the Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013).