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Electoral registers, which are compiled annually, are a useful source for tracking individuals or families.
Only people registered to vote will appear:
Electoral registers are grouped into divisions (parts of the county) and have a separate section for each ward/district, which will usually be an individual village, or part of a town.
Within each ward/district, voters are usually listed either alphabetically by surname, or in alphabetical order of street name and then by house name or number.
You will therefore need to know the approximate whereabouts of an individual or family you are looking for, as there is no index.
Electoral Registers dating from between 1839 to 1922 can be accessed online through Ancestry.
Registers for 1833 to 1922 are available on microfilm, and can be viewed at Dorset History Centre. They include the complete historical divisions of Dorset.
Registers after 1922 should be requested as original documents in our searchroom. Registers for Bournemouth and Christchurch are available at Dorset History Centre from 1974.
Bournemouth: Bournemouth Library
Christchurch: Hampshire Archives