Register of Elections
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I register to vote?
Each year the Electoral Registration officer conducts a canvass
to ascertain who is entitled to be included in the register, a form
is delivered to all homes in the area. The canvass is
conducted by reference to residence on 15th October each
year. The resulting register is published on the 1st December
each year.
The Rolling Registration scheme allows prospective electors to
apply to be added to the register throughout the year (apart from
canvass time). See: Registering to
vote.
Who should respond to the canvass form?
A responsible person should respond on behalf of all the
occupants of your property, you should still register if you
don't own the property, if you rent.
Whoever responds to the form needs to talk to the other
residents of the property and find out if they are eligible to be
registered, and if they wish to opt
out. If they are eligible they need to be included on the
form.
The previous occupants details are on the form, should I
forward it on?
No, the form is actually addressed to 'The Occupier', simply
cross out the previous persons details and add your own on.
Who is eligible to vote/Who should I put on the canvass
form I return?
You should add people to the canvass form if the following
statements are all true.
- They are or are going to be resident at that address on the
15th October of the current year. You do not have to wait
until the 15th October to return your canvass form if you think
circumstances at your address are not likely to change before 15th
October.
- The persons in question are over the age of 16. If they
are aged between16-18 you must add their dates of birth to the
form.
- The persons in question are eligible citizens (see eligible
citizens question below)
Who is an eligible citizen?
People are eligible to apply for voter registration
providing they are one of the following:
- They are a British or Commonwealth citizen.
- They are citizens of the Irish Republic.
- They are a citizen of another European Union (external link)
country.
I am an EU citizen, how can I vote in European
Parliamentary Elections?
We are obliged to send some voters an additional form if they
wish to vote in the European Parliamentary elections. This
will apply to you if you are from an EU country outside of the UK,
Commonwealth and Republic of Ireland. We will send this form
when we receive your annual canvass form.
Can I ring up and find out where a lost relative
lives?
If you ring up with a name and address we can confirm this for
you, if you only have a name unfortunately we can't provide
you with the address. We could tell you if they were
registered in our area though and you could come in to any of our
council offices and look through the electoral register.
If you live outside the area and it isn't viable for you to come
and look we could suggest you send a letter to us and we would
forward it on.
If I pay my council tax, will I automatically be
included on the electoral register?
No, Council tax and Democratic Services are two separate
departments and have two totally different systems. You
should inform us of any changes to your
living arrangements.