RESIDENTS of North East Lincolnshire are being urged to hop online and take just five minutes to complete North East Lincolnshire Council’s annual canvass.
Starting this week, the council will be contacting every household, either by letter or email. This is to confirm the details of those living at the address to ensure the electoral roll is updated accurately.
The annual canvass allows the Council to keep the electoral register up to date, to identify who risks losing their voice at elections, and to encourage them to register before it’s too late.
The annual canvass is a two-stage process:
- Confirming who lives at the property;
- Ensuring those people are registered to vote.
When residents receive their communication, they are asked to carefully check the details and follow the instructions – you can complete the form online in just a few minutes. By law, each household is required to make sure everything is correct.
If you are adding yourself or someone else to the Canvass Form, a follow up communication will also need completing.
In England, if you’re aged 16 or above and are a British or EU citizen with a permanent address, or a Commonwealth citizen who has permission to enter or stay in the UK, or who does not need permission, then you can register to vote in UK elections. However, you cannot vote until you are 18.
One of the benefits of being on the electoral roll include the improvement of credit scores and making it easier to apply for a mortgage, loan or phone contract. You can opt out of being on the public version of the electoral roll, just like being ex-directory on the phone, but the Council will still hold the details for elections purposes.
Recent home movers in particular are urged to check their details. Electoral Commission research has found that recent home movers are less likely to be registered than those who have lived at the same address for a long time. In Great Britain, 92% of those who have lived in their home for 16 years will be registered, compared with 36% of people who have lived at an address for less than a year.
There are two easy steps to make sure you’re registered:
- Respond to the household form and follow instructions provided.
- If you are not registered to vote or your details have changed, you can register for free at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote. You will need your national insurance number and date of birth to register.
Rob Walsh, Electoral Registration Officer at North East Lincolnshire Council, said: “Keep an eye out for important updates from the Council. The annual canvass is our way of making sure that the information on the electoral register for every address is accurate and up to date. To make sure you don’t lose your say at upcoming elections, simply follow the instructions sent to you.
“If you’re not currently registered, your name will not appear in the messages we send. If you want to register, the easiest way is online at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote.”
Melanie Davidson, Head of Support and Improvement at the Electoral Commission, said: “It’s really important that everyone who is eligible to vote is able to do so. We urge people to check for updates from their local council on this year’s canvass. The council may contact residents by post or email.
“If you are not registered to vote, make sure you provide the necessary information to your local council when asked and register to vote online at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote.”
Information on registering to vote is available on the Electoral Commission website.
For more information on the annual canvass please visit our website here: Annual canvass of Electors – NELC | NELC (nelincs.gov.uk)
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