Representation of the People Act 2000
| Act of Parliament | |
.svg.png) | |
| Long title | An Act to make new provision with respect to the registration of voters for the purposes of parliamentary and local government elections; to make other provision in relation to voting at such elections; and for connected purposes. |
|---|---|
| Citation | 2000 c. 2 |
| Introduced by | Jack Straw, Secretary of State for the Home Department (Commons) |
| Territorial extent | United Kingdom[b] |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 9 March 2000 |
| Commencement | various[c] |
| Other legislation | |
| Amends | |
| Repeals/revokes | |
| Amended by |
|
Status: Amended | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
| Revised text of statute as amended | |
| Text of the Representation of the People Act 2000 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk. | |
The Representation of the People Act 2000 (c. 2) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom concerning electoral procedure.[1]
Provisions
The act changed the British electoral process in four minor amendments to the Representation of the People Act 1983:[2]
- It removed most restrictions on postal voting and proxy voting.
- It allows psychiatric hospitals to be used as a registration address.
- It requires additional assistance for disabled voters, particularly visually impaired voters.
- It made provision for new regulations governing the access, sale and supply of electoral registers.
The act also enabled the piloting of electronic voting and electronic counting of ballots.[3]
The act enabled "mailshots" to be sent to every registered voter in the form of a free booklet containing election addresses from all the candidates in the London mayoral elections.[4][5]
See also
Notes
References
- ↑ "Ministers give way over mayor poll". BBC News. 23 February 2000. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
- ↑ "REPRESENTATION OF THE PEOPLE BILL RECEIVES ROYAL ASSENT". Local Government Chronicle. 10 March 2000. Retrieved 19 January 2026.
- ↑ Wilks-Heeg, Stuart (2008). "Purity of Elections in the UK: Causes for Concern" (PDF). Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
- ↑ "Ministers unveil London mailshot deal". BBC News. 2 March 2000. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
- ↑ "Mayor mailshot due to go ahead". BBC News. 29 February 2000. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
External links
- The Representation of the People Act 2000, as currently amended
- The Representation of the People Act 2000, as originally enacted from the Office of Public Sector Information.
- Explanatory notes to the Representation of the People Act 2000 from the Office of Public Sector Information.