Electoral Services Privacy Notice

This privacy notice is published in accordance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which formally comes into effect on the 25 May 2018. The notice provides general information on the ways in which the personal information you provide is managed and processed by the Electoral Registration Officer & Returning Officer.

The Data Controller and Contact Details

The Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) and Returning Officer (RO) are data controllers who
collect and use information about residents to enable us to carry out specific functions for which we
are statutorily responsible.

The contact details for you to exercise any of your data protection rights or to raise any concerns you may have regarding your personal data are:

Data Protection Officer
Rushcliffe Borough Council
Rushcliffe Arena
Rugby Road
West Bridgford
Nottingham
NG2 7YG

Email: customerservices@rushcliffe.gov.uk

Tel: 0115 981 9911

Information we collect about you

We keep records about potential and actual electors, voters, citizens, candidates and their agents, staff employed at an election and the people we need to pay. These may be written down or kept on a computer.

These records may include:

basic details about you – for example, your name, address, date of birth and nationality
unique identifiers (such as your NI number)
scanned application forms & dates of any letters of correspondence
records of any relevant circumstances you have disclosed to us
your previous or any redirected address
the other occupants in your home
If you are over 76 or under 18
whether you have chosen to opt out of the Open version of the Register of Electors

We will, based on your nationality, include your name on the Electoral Register so that you are able to vote.

It is important that our records are accurate and up-to-date as they will help make sure that our staff are able to provide you with the help, advice or support you need. If any of your personal details change please contact us at the earliest opportunity by email to elections@rushcliffe.gov.uk or by phone to 0115 981 9911.

Partner organisations

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 about this on the register to vote website.

How long will we keep it for?

The Electoral Registration Officer & Returning Officer will keep your personal data in accordance with the Council’s retention schedule, unless you explicitly request it to be removed. This right to have your data removed is not an absolute right, for example, we will need to retain your data if this information forms part of a statutory or legal obligation, public registry or an existing contract.

Occasions when your information needs to be shared include:

with our printers and software providers, to compile and manage the register, to print your poll cards, postal vote packs and other electoral material
with registered political parties, elected representatives, candidates, agents and other permitted participants who can use it for electoral purposes only
with Credit reference agencies, the British Library, UK Statistics Authority, the Electoral
Commission and other statutory recipients of the Electoral Register
details of whether you have voted (but not how you have voted) with those who are entitled in
law to receive it after an election
where the health and safety of others is at risk
when the law requires us to pass on information under special circumstances, crime prevention or the detection of fraud as part of the National Fraud Initiative.

We are required by law to report certain information to appropriate authorities – for example:

where a formal court order has been issued
for the prevention or detection of a crime
to the Jury Central Summoning Bureau indicating those persons who are aged 76 or over and are no longer eligible for jury service.

The Open Register

If your details are in the Open version of the Electoral Register, your name and address can be sold to third parties who may use it for any purpose. The law requires that we make the Open Register available for sale.

You can opt out of this version of the register at any time by emailing elections@rushcliffe.gov.uk

Protecting Your Personal Data

Your unpublished personal data will be kept secure by the ERO and will be kept within the European Economic Union (EEU). Where the ERO uses a third party to store your personal data and it is stored outside of the UK/EEU, the ERO will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to keep your personal data secure.

What are cookies?

Our website puts small files (known as ‘cookies’) onto your computer to collect information about how you browse the Council’s site. Cookies are used to:

measure how you use the website so it can be updated and improved based on your needs
recognise the browser you use
track new and returning users

You can disable cookies but this may have an impact on your experience when using the Council’s website.

Find out more about the cookies we use on this website

Find out more about how to manage cookies from your browser

Advice on cookies from the Information Commissioner's Office

Your responsibilities

Only provide personal information pertinent to its intended use or for the purpose of processing a claim, application or notification for statutory requirements.

Tell us as soon as possible if any of the personal information you have provided has changed, e.g. your address or other contact details.

Your Rights

There are a number of rights that you may exercise depending on the legal basis for processing your personal data. In most cases, these rights are not absolute and there may be compelling or overriding legal reasons why we cannot meet these rights in full. This will be explained to you in more detail should you contact us for any of the reasons detailed below:

request a copy of the personal information the ERO or RO holds about you
to have any inaccuracies corrected
to have your personal data erased
to place a restriction on the ERO’s processing of your data
to object to processing; and
to request your data to be ported (data portability).

Where the processing of your personal data is based on your consent, in most circumstances you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time and we will act on your instructions.

If you have any concerns about how we process your personal data or wish to discuss how to exercise your rights, you should contact the Data Protection Officer using the contact details above. You also have the right to make a complaint to the Council by contacting the Rushcliffe Customer Service Centre on 0115 981 9911.

Alternatively, you may wish to complain directly to the Information Commissioners Office. You can do this by writing to them at:

Information Commissioners’ Office,

Wycliffe House,

Water Lane,

Wilmslow,

Cheshire SK9 5AF

Telephone: 0303 123 1113.

Or you can report a concern at the following link: Information Commissioner - concerns

Do it online

Documents to download

Useful links

Elections