Local residents to receive important voter registration information

Households in the Shropshire Council area will soon be receiving a 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 Shropshire 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.

With Police and Crime Commissioner elections taking place across West Mercia in May 2016, this is an opportunity for residents to make sure that when the elections take place they will easily be able to take part.

Claire Porter, Electoral Registration Officer at Shropshire 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 return it as promptly as possible.

“If you’re not currently registered, we’ll send you information explaining how to do this, or you can go online to apply to register at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote.”

It’s particularly important that anyone who has moved address recently looks out for the form and checks whether they are registered.

Research by the independent Electoral Commission indicates that, across Great Britain, recent home movers are far less likely to be registered than those that have lived at the same address for a long time. The research showed that 94% of people who have been at their property for more than 16 years will be registered, compared to 40% of people who have lived at an address for less than one year.

The same research indicates that whilst almost 95% of outright homeowners are registered, this is the case for only 63% of private renters.

Kay Jenkins, Head of English regions at the Electoral Commission, said:

“The annual canvass is an opportunity for people to easily check whether they’re registered. It’s essential for a healthy democracy that everyone who is entitled to vote is able to, and for those who need to, registering is now easier than ever with the online system of registration.

“If you have changed address in the last year, it’s particularly likely that you will need to register at your new address, so check the form as soon as it arrives.”

Any residents who have any questions can contact the elections team on 0345 678 9015.

Further information

The electoral register lists the names and addresses of everyone who is registered to vote in public elections. The register is used for electoral purposes, such as making sure only eligible people can vote. It is also used for other limited purposes specified in law, such as: detecting crime (eg fraud), calling people for jury service, checking credit applications.

The open register is an extract of the electoral register, but is not used for elections. It can be bought by any person, company or organisation. For example, it is used by businesses and charities to confirm name and address details. Your name and address will be included in the open register unless you ask for them to be removed. Removing your details from the open register does not affect your right to vote.

To be eligible to register to vote in England a person must be:

• Aged 16 or over (a person may register to vote at 16, but may not vote until they are 18)
• A British or qualifying Commonwealth citizen who has leave to enter and remain in the UK or does not require such leave.
• A citizen of the Republic of Ireland or other European Union (EU) member state.

British citizens, Irish citizens and qualifying citizens of Commonwealth countries (including Cyprus and Malta), as well as citizens of other EU member states, can vote in local government elections and Police and Crime Commissioner elections in England and Wales.

Full details of the Electoral Commission’s research on the electoral registers can be found here.