We are about to begin our annual canvass of households to check voter details are correct.
The canvass checks that the right people are registered to vote at each address and is carried out every year to ensure the electoral register is up-to-date when it is published.
This year the electoral canvass is changing. New rules allow councils to check voter details against other government records, which means some households will not need to respond to their canvass notification.
You must respond if:
- any of the information on your notification is incorrect
- there are people eligible to register to vote at your address who are not included on the notification
- the notification states that you must respond
To help reduce the number of paper forms being sent out we are initially sending canvass notifications out by email and encouraging those who need to respond to do it online. The first emails are being sent out this weekend.
Residents who have not provided an email address (or who do not respond to their email) will receive a paper copy later in the month by post.
Chief Executive and Electoral Registration Officer, Tracey Lee, said: “It used to be a legal requirement that every household respond to their canvass form, even if there were no changes to make.
“New canvassing rules mean that councils can now cross-check the details they hold against other Government records so not all households will need to respond – although everyone should still check their details are correct.
“We are initially contacting residents who have provided an email address and encouraging them to respond online, to help reduce the number of paper forms we have to post out.
“However, even if you are contacted by post you can still respond online. You can also respond by text – full details are on the form.”
More information is available on our electoral canvass page.