Electoral Registers

What are they?

What dates do they cover?

Where can I see them?

What format are they in?

Do I need to order them in advance of my visit?

Can I get copies?

Further information

• The registers only cover the Sheffield district as it was at the time.
• The registers for areas which are now within the Sheffield boundary but which were formerly outside Sheffield, may be held by Derbyshire or West Yorkshire record offices.
• There are some gaps in coverage, as registers were not published in World War One or World War Two.
• Please note we are unable to answer enquiries relating to the current electoral registers.
• Pre-1832 the vote was reserved for owners and occupiers of valuable property. Even after reforms of 1832 and 1835 few working men and no women could vote. (Up to 1867 therefore directories are a better source for the family historian.)
• Sheffield became a municipal borough in 1843 and local elections have been held ever since. Voter registration has always been the responsibility of the Council.
• Voters are listed in alphabetical order in each ward, addresses were often quite vague in early times.
• The franchise was extended in 1867 to include all male householders. Women householders (spinsters and widows) could vote in elections for Boards of Guardians or School Boards but not in local elections. 
• Women over 30 were granted the vote in 1918 and almost everyone over the age of 21 could take part in an election by 1928. There were no registers compiled between 1914 and 1920 or between 1939-1945.
• After 1880 the arrangement of the voters registers changed. Streets were arranged in polling districts within wards hence it is necessary to know the address of the person you are looking for otherwise the search can be a very long winded affair.