Electoral annual canvass not affected by Electoral Commission data breach

Following the Electoral Commission’s announcement  that it had been subject to cyber attack and data breach, Shropshire Council is reassuring residents that its systems are safe, have not been compromised, and are not linked to the Electoral Commission.

The announcement by the Electoral Commission has come as Shropshire Council has commenced the annual canvass to ensure that Shropshire’s electoral register is as up-to-date as possible.

The annual canvass is a legal process that the council must complete each year.

It means the council must contact all households to check that voter details in each household are correct on the electoral register, and ensures that all residents who are eligible to vote are on the electoral register, and those who are not are removed.

Andy Begley, Shropshire Council’s Electoral Registration Officer, said:-

“I want to reassure voters in Shropshire that the council takes the protection of people’s data seriously, and that our systems are safe and are not linked to the Electoral Commission.

“As such we urge everyone to support the annual electoral canvass as they normally do and follow the instructions sent by the council to ensure the electoral register for Shropshire is as accurate as possible.”

FAQ by the Electoral Commission on the cyber attack Information about the cyber-attack | Electoral Commission