Electoral registers

1832 to present

Electoral registers record the names and addresses of people entitled to vote at elections.  They were introduced in 1832, when only around 1 in 7 men were eligible to vote, depending upon the value of the property they owned. This qualification was gradually extended so that by 1884 around two-thirds of men over 21 appear in the electoral registers. Most women over the age of 30 gained the right to vote in 1918, and only in 1928 did all adults over 21 gain the right to vote. The qualifying age was reduced to 18 in 1969.

The electoral registers were arranged by constituency and polling district, with households in towns and cities usually listed by street and house numbers, while voters in rural areas appeared in alphabetical order by surname. The qualifying date for appearing in the electoral register was several months before the published date of the register.

No registers were compiled during the wartime years of 1916-1917 and 1940-1944. Registers complied immediately after both wars included ‘absent voters’ lists to allow serving military personnel to vote in their home constituencies. In 1918 and 1919 these included military service numbers, rank and regiments.The absent voters lists can be searched on our database page.

Some of our constituency collections are incomplete, including Birkenhead, Stockport and Wallasey but may be held elsewhere. Check what we hold using CCRg as Reference in our online catalogue advanced search.

The registers can be viewed at the Record Office in person. We cannot supply copies from registers published in the last ten years but you can consult them and handwritten notes can be made. Registers covering the years 1842-1900 are available to search and view on the subscription website Find My Past as part of the Cheshire Collection.

Right to buys

If you require evidence that you lived at an address for a right to buy or other official purpose we can provide an official letter. Latest charges can be found here. Please contact the Record Office to request a check of the registers.