Wokingham Borough Council is encouraging residents to check their electoral registration details are correct as part of the annual canvass.
A spokesperson for the council said this is an important process, as it allows the council to identify anyone who may be at risk of losing their voice at future elections – and to encourage them to register to vote before it is too late.
It is a legal requirement for the council to carry out the canvass every year and every household must ensure that the information is correct. This year’s canvass runs from August to November.
Some residents will be contacted by post, while others will receive an email. Correspondence will tell you whether you need to respond and not all residents will be contacted when the first letters and emails are sent out.
The first batch of emails and paper forms have been sent out this week, with further correspondence planned for September. Door-to-door canvassers will then be visiting households that have not responded in November.
Andrew Moulton, electoral registration officer at Wokingham Borough Council, said: “It is vitally important that you keep an eye out for the correspondence from the council about the annual canvass.
“It ensures that you don’t lose your say at upcoming elections and is our way of making sure that the information on the electoral register for every address in the borough is accurate.
“Simply follow the instructions sent to you and read the message carefully, as not everyone will need to respond. If you are not currently registered to vote, your name will not appear in the messages we send. If you want to register, the easiest way is online.”
How the canvass process will work
The council will begin to send out correspondence via email and in the post to residents, with a response from just one person in the household required. Reminder emails and letters will then be sent to those who have not responded.
Forms will be addressed to ‘The Resident’ but anyone in the household can respond. Canvass correspondence sent via email will be sent from Wokingham.borough.council.electoral.services@notifications.service.gov.uk and will contain the council’s official branding.
If you need to respond, use one of the methods offered in the letter, as pre-paid envelopes are no longer automatically enclosed. Please include your email address in the update to help us reduce our printing and postal costs, as this exercise must be carried out each year.
During the canvass period, you can respond on the Household Response website, but you will need to use the security codes provided on the form to do so.
People who have recently moved home in particular are being encouraged to check their details, as research from the Electoral Commission shows that recent homemovers are less likely to be registered than those who live at the same address for a long time.
Once your household information has been updated, any new or additional residents over the age of 16 must register to vote individually. Responding to the canvass does not mean you are registered to vote and you are not automatically registered, even if you pay the council tax for your home.
More information on registering to vote is available online from the Electoral Commission.
Residents with questions about their registration status can contact the council’s electoral services team at electoralservices@wokingham.gov.uk, or call (0118) 974 6000.
