Absent Voters Lists were introduced by the Representation of the People Act 1918, which made special provision for people away from their normal residence on War Service to vote. These voters included members of the armed forces, the Merchant Navy and those serving with the Red Cross and similar organisations. Men and women who were qualified to vote could be registered as Naval and Military voters and vote either by post or via a proxy.
As well as being included in the main Register of Electors for each consistency, the Naval and Military voters were also placed in a separate Absent Voters List. These lists included details of the voter's rank and service unit, and will be of interest to people researching the War service of individuals and those studying participation in the War in particular localities.
The records have been made available in Name Index spreadsheets, and digitised pdf downloads of the lists in constituency order.
For more details, click the link above to visit the PRONI website or tap on the image below.
From the Absent Voters List for the Mid-Armagh Constituency. |