Privacy notice : Electoral services - Candidates and Agents

This notice explains when we collect personal data, what we use it for, who we share it with and your rights.

Who are we

Electoral Registration Officer and Returning Officer, c/o Electoral Services
Town Hall, St Ives Road,
Maidenhead, SL6 1RF.
Contact 01628 796306
Email : Registration@rbwm.gov.uk

The lawful basis for processing the information

Representation of the People Act 1983
Local Government Act 1972
The Local Elections (Principal Areas) (England and Wales) Rules 2006
Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013
Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000
Localism Act 2011

How do we collect information from you

When you stand for election or have been nominated to assist a candidate in their campaign as an election agent, polling agent, counting agent or postal vote agent, Electoral Services are required to collect certain information from you in order to administer the election process. This information is provided directly by you, the data subject, when you stand for election. If you are appointed as any type of agent, your details are provided by the candidate you are assisting.

What type of information is collected from you

For candidates and election agents, there is a statutory requirement to collect certain categories of your personal data, such as your full name, address, date of birth, as some of this information is used to establish your eligibility to stand for election or ability to be appointed as an agent. There is a statutory requirement that your name and address are published on prescribed election notices and made available to the public.

Your contact details such as your telephone number and email address are also requested by Electoral Services so that we can contact you more easily in the lead up to an election, but this information is not made public and is strictly for office purposes. 

How we use the information you have provided

Your name and address is used to compose election notices and there is a statutory requirement that this information is in the public domain and accessible to the electorate. We may use your email address or telephone number to contact you during the election period to notify you more quickly about electoral arrangements that you need to be aware of.

Who has access to the information about you

The public will have information about you when your details are published on statutory notices online and on public noticeboards at council offices. The Electoral Commission may require to see lists of candidates and their agents as part of their election monitoring processes.

Who we may share your information with

Your personal details that are not published as part of election notices are kept strictly within Electoral Services and are stored securely in our electoral management software. On occasions, Thames Valley Police (TVP) may require us to provide them with some of the personal details about candidates and their agents involved in the election process, so that they can carry out security checks ahead of the poll. In these instances, we may be required to send TVP your name, address and date of birth to assist in this process.

How long we store your information

We only retain your personal details during the election period in which you have been involved and up to twenty-one days after the day of poll. Once the election period has concluded, we remove public notices from our website and noticeboards relating to the election, except the declaration of result.

Further information

If you would like to know more about how we use your information or you would like to inform us of a change to your contact details, please contact us using the details above.