Commentary on Sections Section 14: Abolition of the 3-Month Residence Requirement
77.The requirement that persons registering as electors in Northern Ireland must have been resident in Northern Ireland for at least three months has been in force in one form or other since 1949. However, it has the effect of disenfranchising a small number of individuals. The requirement to provide evidence of residence also places an additional burden on those wishing to register to vote. The residence requirement is no longer needed to prevent fraud, following the introduction of a system of individual registration in 2002. No objections were made to the proposal to remove it during a public consultation in 2009.
78.Subsection (1) removes the 3-month residency requirement for registration in respect of all elections held in Northern Ireland, including elections to Parliament, the European Parliament, the Northern Ireland Assembly and local government.
79.Subsection (2) makes relevant consequential amendments.