Electoral registers

What are they?

Electoral registers are lists of the residents of a town or village who have registered their right to vote.

They have been published every year since 1832, and some libraries hold copies on microfiche for their local area (though there may be gaps). A complete set of Nottinghamshire Electoral registers is held at Nottinghamshire Archives.

The registers for large towns are divided into areas known as electoral wards and you'll need to know the street where your ancestor lived before using the register. Be aware that there are no surname indexes for Electoral registers.

At different times since 1832, the right to vote has been restricted by age, sex and social class. Check the front page of each register to find out who could vote at that time.