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Annual canvass

Every year, we are required by law to confirm whether the details we hold on the electoral register for households are correct. This is known as the annual canvass, and is carried out by sending a form to every household in North East Lincolnshire.

About the annual canvass

The purpose of the canvass is to:

  • identify any newly eligible to vote residents, such as those who have turned 18
  • remove those that have moved away or are no longer eligible to vote
  • make sure the register is accurate for election and jury service purposes.

You should include all eligible residents that live at the address on the form, including anyone aged 16 or over, British, Irish or EU citizens, and Commonwealth citizens who have leave / don’t require leave to remain in the UK.

Completing a canvass form

During the canvass, you will be contacted by email or post and asked to confirm or update the details of those living at the address.

We do a national and local data match before starting the canvass. If you match the records we check against then you’ll receive an email if we have an email address. If the details do not match it exactly then a form will be sent to you.

If you receive a form by post it will be addressed to ‘the occupier’ and should contain the details of everyone in the household eligible to vote. If no one is registered to vote at a property a blank form will be sent.

You should receive your initial email or letter around July or August.

Only one person in your household needs to complete the annual canvass, and you are required by law to make sure the details are correct.

You must respond if you receive an email or form in the post, asking you to reply.

Please note: If you own a property that is currently empty, you still need to complete the form.

Follow the steps on the letter to go online with your unique security code. Please remember to answer all questions and click ‘submit’.

By calling our Customer Contact Centre on 01472 324160 – please have you unique contact number handy.

You need to either:

  • confirm that the details on the annual canvass form are correct
  • inform us of any changes you need to make.

You can confirm your details have not changed or that certain details have changed in one of the following ways.

After you confirm there are no changes required or tell us about any updates, we’ll mark your household as complete and amend our records if needed.

If you have added a new elector for your household you will receive a confirmation letter. You won’t receive confirmation about any other changes.

Deadline to respond

You should complete your annual canvass form as soon as possible. If we don’t hear from you within three weeks, we’ll send a reminder and give you extra time. If you still don’t respond, a canvasser will visit your home. Not providing the information could lead to a penalty.

It is an criminal offence for failing to provide us with the information requested and you could be fined up to £1,000.

If you provide false information, this could result in up to six months imprisonment or an unlimited fine once convicted.

Changes you need to tell us about

Check whether you need to make any changes to your form if any of the below apply:

Someone moved in / out

Anyone aged 76+

Nationality

Proxy votes

Postal votes

Opt in/out open register

Invitation to register

An invitation to register form is sent to individuals that appear to be eligible to vote but aren’t yet registered. It is usually sent after the initial canvass email or letter, when households have confirmed a new resident or unregistered person is present.

The law has changed and in order to be registered, you must provide us with specific information if you have been sent a form.

If you did not respond to the canvass last year or if we were unable to match your information to Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) records you will receive an invitation to register form, even if your name was on the annual canvass form. If this is why you have received a form you must complete it or you will be deleted from the register of electors.

Contact details

Elections, Municipal Offices, Town Hall Square, Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, DN31 1HU

Elections team contact form

Telephone: 01472 324160

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