{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/absent-voting-elections-in-scotland-and-wales-act-2025/section-4",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/absent-voting-elections-in-scotland-and-wales-act-2025/section-4.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/2025/27",
  "legislation_title": "Absent Voting (Elections in Scotland and Wales) Act 2025",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/absent-voting-elections-in-scotland-and-wales-act-2025",
  "path": "section/4",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "4",
  "heading": "Commencement and transitional provision",
  "text": "(1) This Act comes into force on the day on which it is passed, subject to subsection (2).\n(2) Section 1(4) to (6) comes into force on such day as the Secretary of State may by regulations made by statutory instrument appoint.\n(3) The Secretary of State may by regulations made by statutory instrument make such transitional or saving provision as the Secretary of State considers appropriate in connection with the coming into force of any provision of this Act.\n(4) Regulations under subsection (3) may make provision for, or in connection with, the expiry of some or all devolved election postal vote entitlements.\n(5) Regulations under subsection (3) that make provision for, or in connection with, the expiry of the devolved election postal vote entitlement of a person who also has a parliamentary election postal vote entitlement may make provision for the purpose of aligning the expiry of those entitlements (including provision specifying or changing the date on which either or both of those entitlements expire).\n(6) In this section—\n“devolved election postal vote entitlement” means an entitlement to vote by post (whether as elector or proxy) at local government elections in Wales or Scotland, where the entitlement was granted before the specified date on an application under paragraph 3(1) or 7(4)(a) of Schedule 4 to the Representation of the People Act 2000;\n“parliamentary election postal vote entitlement” means an entitlement to vote by post (whether as elector or proxy) at parliamentary elections in England and Wales or Scotland, where the entitlement was granted before the specified date on an application under paragraph 3(1) or 7(4)(a) of Schedule 4 to the Representation of the People Act 2000;\n“specified date” means the date specified in the regulations.\n(7) Regulations under this section may make different provision for different purposes or areas.",
  "extent": "E+W+S+N.I.",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "I",
      "label": "I1",
      "text": "S. 4 in force at Royal Assent, see s. 4(1)"
    },
    {
      "type": "P",
      "label": "P1",
      "text": "S. 4(6): 3.11.2026 specified as the “specified date” for the purposes of the definitions of “devolved election postal vote entitlement” and “parliamentary election postal vote entitlement”"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2025/27/section/4",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-11-05T03:40:00.818451+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}