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Electorate Statistics

Electorate Statistics for Northern Ireland 

Electoral Statistics

 

Electorate Statistics in relation to 2021 Canvass (carry forward)

updated 28 January 2026

Northern Ireland Canvass law requires all existing electors to re-register to vote at each Canvass and the Electoral Register is "wiped clean" after the Canvass is started.(2)  However the law allows the Chief Electoral Officer to carry forward electors onto the new Electoral Register for up to two years if there was no Canvass response. The record can only be carried forward if administrative data (National Insurance/Health registration) supports the elector's continued inclusion. The last registration Canvass of electors in Northern Ireland was held in Summer 2021. More details on the 2021 Canvass carry forward process are given in the Electoral Commission report(1). In numerical terms in 2021 there were 114,000 carried forward electors (or 8.3% of the electorate). 

Subsequently, the UK Parliament passed The Representation of the People (Northern Ireland) (Amendment) Regulations 2025 which amended the carry forward period/process. The amended law allows carried forward electors from the 2021 Canvass to be retained on the Electoral Register until late 2027. However the amended law requires a regular review of all carried forward electors. This webpage contains information on work undertaken to review the carried forward electors.

 

2025 position

By January 2025, there remained 87,000 carried forward electors (or 6.2% of the electorate) from the 2021 Canvass. More detailed statistics are available at Electors Carried Forward from 2021 Canvass (Jan 2025).

In September 2025, the Electoral Office sent 20,650 communications (4,200 mobile phone text messages and 16,450 secure e-mails) to carried forward electors who had an email or mobile phone number recorded on their electoral registration. These communications were designed to ensure these electors re-registered to vote and met their Canvass obligations.

In October 2025, the Electoral Office identified 5,700 electors in the carried forward group who no longer matched either of the National Insurance/Health registers. A letter was sent to each of these electors at their National Insurance/Health register address. This letter was also designed to ensure these electors re-registered to vote and met their Canvass obligations. This created some re-registration activity but by November 2025 5,000 electors in this group still had not re-registered to vote and met their Canvass obligations. These electors were then sent a formal removal notice by letter. Ultimately 4,600 carried forward electors in this group were removed from the electoral register in January 2026.

 

2026 position Updated January 2026

By January 2026 the number of carried forward electors had fallen to 75,500 (or 5.3% of the electorate). In part this was driven by the activities listed above. More detailed statistics are available at Electors Carried Forward from 2021 Canvass (Jan 2026).

During 2026 further attempts will be made to contact all remaining carried forward electors and ask them to re-register to vote using a targeted approach. In 2026, this will also include the removal of some more carried forward electors where administrative data no longer supports the elector's continued registration. An overall updated position will be published on this webpage in January 2027.

(1) The Canvass was reviewed in the Electoral Commission review of Northern Ireland electoral registration canvass 2021.

(2) More details are included in a letter from the Chief Electoral Officer to Secretary of State on the need for a Canvass (April 2024).