The annual canvass ensures that Central Bedfordshire Council can keep the electoral register up to date, identifying any residents who are not registered or have recently moved so that they can be encouraged to do so. They would then be able take part in any future elections.
For people who have provided an email address, you’ll receive an email from [email protected]. Please respond to this as soon as you can. For everyone else, you will receive a letter addressed to the household in early August.
Marcel Coiffait, Electoral Registration Officer at Central Bedfordshire Council said:
It’s important that residents keep an eye out for messages from Central Bedfordshire Council, so we can make sure we have the right details on the electoral register for every address in our area. To make sure you can have your say in any upcoming elections, simply follow the instructions we send you. If you’re not currently registered, your name will not appear in the messages we send. If you want to register, the easiest way is online, or we’ll send you information explaining how to do this in the post. We want everyone who is entitled to vote to able to do so. Making sure you provide the necessary information, by electronic methods where possible, when it is needed, will ensure the process runs smoothly.
All local authorities are required to data match their current registers with the records held by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) and to conduct local data matching where possible. We recently conducted the national data matching exercise with the DWP and matched its data with Council Tax records. The results showed that over 88% of all households in Central Bedfordshire have matched.
Properties that match 100% with the DWP and who have provided us with an email address will be sent an email soon asking them to confirm that all the information is the same. Residents are urged to reply to this email as soon as possible to avoid unnecessary postal costs. The email will be sent out this week from [email protected] and will include information on how to respond – only one member per household can respond to this email. The email is sent via the GOV.UK - Notify service.
During August, all remaining households will receive a letter identifying who is currently registered at the property – please follow the instructions on the letter carefully.
People who have moved recently are particularly encouraged to look out for the voter registration messages from Central Bedfordshire Council and check the details.
Research by the Electoral Commission indicates that recent home movers are far less likely to be registered than those who have lived at the same address for a long time. Across Great Britain, 92% of people who have been at their property for more than sixteen years will be registered, compared to 36% of people who have lived at an address for less than one year.
Paying council tax does not mean you will automatically be registered to vote.
There’s lots of helpful information about registering to vote on the Electoral Commission website.
Useful links