An anonymous elector is generally a registered voter whose safety would be at risk if their details were available on a public

electoral register An electoral roll (variously called an electoral register, voters roll, voters list, poll book or other description) is a compilation that lists persons who are entitled to vote for particular elections in a particular jurisdiction. The list is ...

Australia

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, a voter anonymously registered is known as a silent elector. To be a silent elector, a voter must satisfy the Divisional Returning Officer that their safety or that of any other person living in the same household would be at risk if their name and address were printed in the

. Application for silent status occurs through an online form on the

Australian Electoral Commission The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) is the independent statutory agency of the Australian Government responsible for the management and oversight of Australian federal elections, plebiscites, referendums and some trade union A ...

website or by uploading a scanned paper form. Silent electors may register as a general postal voter so that their ballot papers are automatically mailed to them when an election or referendum is called. Otherwise, silent electors are able to vote via the same options as the rest of the population, either by attending a polling place on polling day or a pre-poll in the lead up to an election, or applying for a one-off postal vote.

New Zealand

An eligible elector who believes that having their details entered on the publicly viewable electoral roll could threaten their personal safety or that of their family can apply for their details be included only on the unpublished roll. The application must be accompanied by evidence, such as a copy of a protection order that is in force under the Domestic Violence Act 1995, a copy of a restraining order that is in force under the Harassment Act 1997, a statutory declaration from a member of the New Zealand Police, or a letter from either a barrister or solicitor, the employer, a justice of the peace, or the like, supporting the application on the grounds that the applicant's personal safety, or that of their family, could be prejudiced by the publication of their name and details. An elector remains on the unpublished roll until such time as their circumstances change. As unpublished rolls are not made available at polling booths, voters on the unpublished roll must cast a special vote.

United Kingdom

A person who qualifies to register to vote can be registered anonymously if they can satisfy the

electoral registration officer In the United Kingdom, an electoral registration officer (ERO) is a person who has the statutory duty to compile and maintain the electoral roll (which includes conducting the annual canvass). Any expenses incurred by an electoral registration off ...

that their safety or that of any other person living in the same household would be at risk if their name and address were printed in the

. A voter can apply to be an anonymous elector at any time by using registration forms available from local electoral registration officers or the

Electoral Commission An election commission is a body charged with overseeing the implementation of electioneering process of any country. The formal names of election commissions vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and may be styled an electoral commission, a c ...

's website. The applicant must state a reason why they or someone else in the same household would be at risk should their name and address be publicly available in the

. In addition, the application must be supported either by a court order or an attestation. Attestations can be made by a police officer of or above the rank of superintendent of any UK police force, the Director General of the Security Service or the

National Crime Agency The National Crime Agency (NCA) is a Law enforcement agency#natlea, national law enforcement agency in the United Kingdom. It is the UK's lead agency against organised crime; Human trafficking, human, Arms trafficking, weapon and Illegal drug t ...

, a director of adult social services or children’s services in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, a director of social services in

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

, any chief social work officer in

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

or any director of social services of a Health and Social Services Board or executive director of social work of a Health and Social Services Trust in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

. Application forms can be returned to the local electoral registration officer by post, by fax or by e-mail as a scanned attachment. Once the anonymous elector application has been accepted by the

, the applicant's entry in the

Electoral Register An electoral roll (variously called an electoral register, voters roll, voters list, poll book or other description) is a compilation that lists persons who are entitled to vote for particular elections in a particular jurisdiction. The list is ...

appears as an elector number and the letter N, rather than their name and address. Only the returning officer, the jury service in

England and Wales England and Wales () is one of the Law of the United Kingdom#Legal jurisdictions, three legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It covers the constituent countries England and Wales and was formed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. Th ...

, the security services and police forces have access to the name and address of anonymous electors. A 'certificate of anonymous registration' is then issued to the anonymous elector in case they need to prove their identity and address in order to obtain credit or to donate money or loan money to a political party/candidate (but as this involves handing over name and address details to a third party, the anonymous elector should only do this if they are absolutely confident that the other party will keep the information secure). The anonymous elector registration lasts twelve months, after which it must be renewed. To vote in person, an anonymous elector must take the poll card received in the post.

United States

In the United States of America, a state-run Address Confidentiality Program allows victims of crime including

domestic violence Domestic violence is violence that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes r ...

stalking Stalking is unwanted and/or repeated surveillance or contact by an individual or group toward another person. Stalking behaviors are interrelated to harassment and intimidation and may include following the victim in person or monitorin ...

, and other crimes to keep their address confidential. This includes creating a false address, and applies to different government departments depending on the state. All states except

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

apply their Confidential Address Programs to voter registration.

References

{{reflist, 30em Elections Elections in Australia Elections in New Zealand Elections in the United Kingdom