Electoral Roll Search - Explanation
On our web site there are images for the Electoral Register, as well as a searchable index for the Registers we have scanned.  As usual, the index has been created by computer software from the images of the Registers, and although it has been manually "scrubbed" there are so many entries (currently about 2.5 million) that it is not possible to be sure the index is 100% accurate.
Please note although there is no charge for viewing a set of results, you will need to be logged on and will need to have a valid page view credits voucher, or a subscription.
The search window allows you to enter various search words.  The search will attempt to match the words you enter and return the results from the index.  For example, if you enter:-
  • a name, it will return all the entries for that name
  • a name and a range of years, it will return all entries for that name between the dates you have entered
  • a name and a street, it will return all entries for that name in the street you have entered
  • two names, it will return all matching name entries that occur in the same street
  • a street, it will list all entries for a street
Please note that the search has now been set up to allow a "keyword" search in the "Address/Other" box. This is useful if, say, you want to find all the people who belonged to the same Regiment in the 1918 Absent Voters list, More on this on the military books home page.
As the index is not 100% accurate, if at first you do not find a match, try entering only part of the name or address and using "*" as a wildcard.  For example, entering "Will*" for a name will find all entries for "Will" as well as those for "William".
Once you have a set of results, you can sort those results by any field in the table presented by clicking on the heading, which will be underlined.  Please note that results are presented 10 to a page, and that to access subsequent pages you should click on one of the page numbers that appear at the bottom of each page of results.
Frequently asked questions
What do the abbreviations mean under the qualification column in the post 1920 Electoral Rolls?
The abbreviations indicate the criteria by which the voter has qualified to vote.  For example, "R" indicates a Residency qualification, "O" an Occupation qualification and "NM" a "Naval or Military" qualification.  The abbreviations have changed a little over time as the legislation has varied (for example, in 1928, women were given the right to vote).  A definition of the meaning of the abbreviations appears on the first page of each polling district, and samples are provided via the links below.

1920  1925  1930  1935
Why are there two sets of abbreviations in the qualification column in the post 1920 Electoral Roll?
The Electoral Register records those entitled to vote in parliamentary elections as well as in local elections. However, in the period from 1918 until at least 1939 different criteria were used in Parliamentary Elections to determine the entitlement to vote in comparison to Local Elections. On the Electoral Roll, the first set of abbreviations provide the qualification for Parliamentary Elections, and the second set for local Elections. Where there is a line or hyphen the voter may not vote. It is quite possible that a voter may be entitled to vote in Parliamentary Elections, but not in Local Elections - or vice-versa.
Search the Electoral Roll