Genealogy Chat

Is it possible to buy a CD with the roll on it? If so, where from? Any info much appreciated

No, you can't. It would be an impossible task. Even in Victorian times the adult population was in the millions, each Council did its own electoral roll and it was, and still is, done annually.

I do not believe that a CD or indeed any other media is available with English Electoral Registers.

Most main public libraries or archive offices have copies of the local electoral register. These are usually in original paper form or on microfiche. These can be viewed by the public during a personal visit. Some libraries or archives are prepared to do look-ups for those unable to visit. Some charge for this service whilst others don't.

Post 2002 a commercial copy of each years electoral register has been sold to commercial companies who then sell the individual information to those prepared to pay for it. A typical example being ww.192.com

Ancestry has the London area electoral registers with a searchable index and they are very useful. It intends to extend ER to some other parts of the UK.

Ay also has the telephone directories to 1980. One of my lot had the number 25 in 1925 and it is still the same today with a few numbers in front!

The modern ER exists in two forms (a) the full register which is sold to commercial companies and (b) the partial register which does not include people who have opted out. (a) has everybody, opted out or not. It is an offense not to register.

The regulations regarding the E.R. can be varied by Statutory Instrument i.e. a minister can just issue a decree. Such a change has been resting on the ministerial desk for some time. If implemented it would suppress the current opt out.

For a very long time registration has been made by the "householder" on behalf of all the people at an address. This is changing to individual registration on account of widespread electoral fraud in some of the UK's larger cities.

Although the ER is supposedly open for inspection to anybody who asks some councils and libraries are not very co-operative to say the least.

"It would be an impossible task."
Not at all, the whole thing could be fitted onto a DVD.

Thank you all for your contributions - some useful info

192.com used to sell CDs. Might be able to pick some old ones up on eBay.

Rose