Elections: Proof of Identity
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what use of National Insurance numbers is made to verify (a) electoral registration, (b) postal vote registration and (c) the submission of completed postal votes, for (i) in UK Parliamentary elections in Great Britain, (ii) Scottish Parliamentary elections, (iii) local elections in England, (iv) local elections in Wales, (v) local elections in Scotland, (vi) Welsh Senedd elections and (vii) elections in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Samantha Dixon
Applicants for electoral registration in Great Britain are required to provide a National Insurance number or, if they are not able to do so, the reason they cannot provide it. The applicant’s National Insurance number is checked to confirm that the details provided match those on record at DWP for that National Insurance number.
Since the introduction of the online absent vote application services in 2023, National Insurance numbers are also collected as part of postal vote applications. This acts to ensure that the person making the application is the same individual entitled to apply for the postal vote. While they are not yet a requirement for applications for postal votes for devolved elections in Scotland and Wales, this requirement will be introduced following passage of the Absent Voting (Elections in Scotland and Wales) Act 2025.
The provision of a National Insurance number is compulsory for electoral registration in Northern Ireland. Postal vote applications in Northern Ireland are checked against information held on the register, including the National Insurance number.
National Insurance numbers are not used for the submission of completed postal votes.
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