Register to Vote
ANNUAL CANVASS
Don’t lose your voice – residents across the borough are being urged to look out for their voter registration details in the post
Local residents are being warned not to lose their voice on matters that affect them by responding to the annual canvass form and returning it to their local authority as soon as possible.
Every household in the borough will soon be receiving the form asking residents to check whether the information that appears on the electoral register for those living at their address is correct as part of Hyndburn Council’s annual voter registration canvass.
The aim of the form is to ensure that the electoral register is up to date and to identify any residents who are not registered so that they can be encouraged to do so.
You must respond to the form, even if there are no changes to the details. You can do this by using the automated telephone or text facility.
Any changes can be made online at www.elecreg.co.uk/hyndburn – instructions are on the form – or they can complete the form and post it back. You can’t use the automated facility for making changes.
The forms will be delivered by hand starting from 20 July.
Jane Ellis, Electoral Registration Officer at Hyndburn Council, said: “Anyone that wants to vote must be registered. To make sure you are able to have your say at the elections next year, simply check the form when it arrives and respond to it as promptly as possible.”
“We’re encouraging people to use the automated service where there’s been no change in their details – information on how to do that is on the form. It helps make the process run more smoothly.”
It’s particularly important that anyone who has moved address recently looks out for the form and checks whether they are registered.
Any residents who have any questions can contact the electoral services team on 01254 388111.
The annual canvass is a statutory duty carried out by all councils across the country.
REGISTER OF ELECTORS
The way you register to vote has changed over the past few years. You must now register yourself individually, which you can do online:
Register to vote now – www.gov.uk/register-to-vote
You will need to provide your national insurance number and date of birth.
To find out what happens to your information, please see the ‘Register to Vote’ privacy notice.
Who can register to vote
You can register if:
- you are 16+ years old (however you can’t vote until you are 18)
- you live in the UK (there are some exceptions for people living abroad) https://www.gov.uk/voting-when-abroad
- you are a British or Irish citizen, a Commonwealth citizen or citizen of a European Union member state
www.yourvotematters.co.uk/can-i-vote
Find out more about who can vote the Electoral Commission website, including a full list of qualifying EU Countries, Commonwealth Countries, British Overseas Territories and British Crown Dependencies.
Postal or proxy voting
You need to be registered to vote to be able to use a postal or proxy vote.
Moving home
If you have moved, you’ll need to re-register to vote.
Living abroad
If you live overseas you can apply to register as an overseas elector.
The two versions of the electoral register
- The full register has the names and addresses of everyone who is registered to vote. Anyone can look at it by making an appointment at the Council Offices at Scaitcliffe House but it is only supplied for certain purposes such as law enforcement. Credit reference agencies are allowed to use this version but only to verify your details.
- The open register is available for general sale and can be used for any purpose. You can choose not to appear on this version by indicating when you register or by emailing us: elections@hyndburnbc.gov.uk. This will not affect your voting rights or credit status.
To check if you are registered or to make an appointment to view the current electoral register please email us: elections@hyndburnbc.gov.uk.
Household enquiry form
Each year we send out a household enquiry form to every address in Hyndburn. This is for you to confirm who lives in your home and is eligible to vote. You should:
- tell us the name and nationality of everyone aged 16 or over
- tell us if there are no eligible residents, and why
- cross out the name(s) of anyone listed on the form who is no longer living there
- tell us if your nationality has changed
- tell us if you are now over 70 years old
- include your email address and phone number, if you’d like to (This is optional – we only use this information in connection with your registration, and it means we can contact you if there’s a problem).
Knowing this information means we can invite other residents to register to vote if we need to. You should complete and return the form to us by post or online.
Returning the form doesn’t mean that you are now registered to vote, you must still register yourself on the www.gov.uk website.
If you have lost your form, call the elections team on 01254 388111 for a replacement.
More information
Further details about voting are available on the www.gov.uk website.
Not being registered to vote can also impact on applications for mortgages or mobile phones since credit reference agencies use the register to validate applications.
There is a criminal penalty for failing to provide the information required by the Household Enquiry Form to the Electoral Registration Officer of a maximum of £1,000. The penalty for providing false information to an Electoral Registration Officer is imprisonment of up to six months or a fine (on summary conviction) of a maximum of £5,000.