This privacy notice explains what information the council needs in order to deliver electoral services. 

In order to provide this service, it is necessary for the council to collect, store and process personal data relating to borough residents. 

Safeguards are in place to ensure that this data is kept secure and the privacy of individuals is protected.

This privacy notice should be read alongside the council’s main privacy notice.

Who is responsible for your information?

Chesterfield Borough Council Electoral Registration and Returning Officer is the data controller for the personal information collected. The Electoral Registration Officer/Returning Officer is registered with the ICO as a separate data controller to the council – registration reference ZA313217.

How do we collect your information?

The personal information that we process will often be provided by you directly, such as when you apply to register to vote, apply to have an absent vote, put yourself forward to stand for election or apply for a temporary staffing position.

If you register to vote online, your information will often be provided to us via the Individual Electoral Registration Digital Service managed by the Cabinet Office. We also submit all applications to this service in order to verify your identity.

Individuals may also provide us with information about other people, such as where an individual completes a household enquiry form and includes information about other residents.

We will receive some information from other Chesterfield Borough Council service areas, like the Council Tax team, and from higher education establishments and care homes. This aids the verification of new applicants and helps citizens to register on the electoral roll.

Maintaining the electoral register

Purposes of processing your personal data

We need to process your personal information in order to maintain and update the electoral register. This includes the following processes:

• compiling the register of electors
• provision of postal vote forms
• verifying the identity of people trying to register to vote, if there is a query or issue with their registration, for example they've changed their name

The law says who can have a copy of the full register and what it can be used for. The council will use information on the full register for:

• electoral purposes
• prevention and detection of crime and fraud

Categories of personal data and lawful basis

In order to provide this service, we need to process some or all of the following categories of personal information:

• contact details
• proof of identification
• National Insurance number
• age
• details of your household
• a proxy vote request may include some health information

Under data protection legislation, we are permitted to use your information this way because we have a legal obligation to prepare and maintain the electoral register. This duty is created by the Representation of the People Act 1983. Where we collect special category data (like health information), this is permitted because the processing is of substantial public interest.

Who we share your personal data with

When you apply to register to vote, 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 Department of Work and Pensions and the Cabinet Office suppliers that are data processors for the Individual Electoral Registration Digital Service. You can find more information on the register to vote service privacy notice. 

We are legally obliged to provide copies of the full register to certain organisations. 

We can also sell copies of the open register (also known as the edited register). You can choose whether you would like to be included in this version. You can opt-out at any time by contacting the Electoral Registration Officer using the details below. Your name and address will be included in the open register unless you ask for them to be removed. Your right to vote is not affected if you ask for your details to be removed from the open register. 

We are also required to electoral register data with the Cabinet Office as part of a national data matching exercise to prevent and detect fraud. For more details, please see our National Fraud Initiative privacy notice, and the Cabinet Office privacy notice.

Electoral candidates

Purposes of processing your personal data

We need to process personal information about electoral candidates in order to register their candidacy and meet our legal obligations.

Categories of personal data and lawful basis

In order to provide this service, we need to process some or all of the following categories of personal information:

• contact details
• proof of identification (including signature)
• age
• spending returns
• political opinions (as indicated by political party)

Under data protection legislation, we are permitted to use your information this way because we are performing a task in the public interest. Where we process special category data (eg. political opinions), we do so because it is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest.

Under data protection legislation, we are permitted to use your information this way because we have a statutory duty to perform these processes.

Who we share your personal data with

We are legally required to share this information with the Electoral Commission. 

Temporary elections staff

Purposes of processing your personal data

We are need to process personal information about temporary elections staff in order to provide employment administration and support, to manage payroll, and to meet our legal obligations.

Categories of personal data and lawful basis

In order to provide this service, we need to process some or all of the following categories of personal information:

• contact details
• proof of identification and right to work in the UK
• National Insurance Number
• bank details and tax status

Under data protection legislation, we are permitted to use your information this way because it forms part of the performance of a contract.

Who we share your personal data with

We are legally required to share some of this information with HMRC.

We may be required to share this data with the Cabinet Office as part of a national data matching exercise to prevent and detect fraud. For more details, please see our National Fraud Initiative privacy notice, and the Cabinet Office privacy notice.

Further information

Please get in touch if you would like more information about how the council processes your personal data:

• contact the Electoral Registration/Returning Officer on 01246 345402, or use our online enquiry form
• contact the council's data protection officer