Registering to Vote

Do not lose your right to vote

Electoral Registration

In order to vote your name must be included on the electoral register.   Check you are registered to vote now by contacting the contacting the Electoral Services team.

If your name is not on the electoral register or you have recently moved house, then to register you will need to complete a voter registration form, you can complete our online rolling registration request form, and we will send out the nescessary documents to your new property.

This form can also be accessed from the aboutmyvote website or by telephone by contacting the Electoral Services Office Tel No (01270) 529570 and to request that a form be posted to you. You need to sign your own form, someone else cannot do it for you.

We will write to you to let you know your details have been added to the register and you will then be eligible to vote.

To be sure our voting information is as accurate and current as possible each autumn we deliver an annual canvass form to every household in the borough. You can add names or take them off and make other amendments; these changes will take effect from the Register published on 1^st December.

Alternatively please email us, details are available in our contact Electoral Services section.

There are two versions of the Register:

1. The full Register has the names and addresses of everyone registered to vote and is updated every month. Anyone can look at it but copies can only be supplied for certain purposes, such as elections and law enforcement. Credit reference agencies are also allowed to use the full Register but only to check your name and address if you are applying for credit and to help stop ‘money laundering’. You do not have a choice about your name and address being on this Register.
2. The edited Register is available for general sale and can be used for any purpose. You can choose not to be on it. The edited register is kept separate from the full Register and is updated every month. If you tick the box on the voter registration form your name and address will only appear on the full register. If you do not tick the box your name will also appear on the edited register, which anyone can buy. This means anyone can use your details for any purpose.

Do I have to register to get credit?

Failing to register may also affect your ability to get credit and banks, building societies, mobile phone and catalogue companies usually check the register before giving you credit. This is because the electoral register is often used for credit referencing purposes to counteract fraud.

How can I check I am on the Register?

The full register is available for inspection, for more information please contact Electoral Services.

I’ve lost contact with a friend/relative. Can you tell me where they live?

We can only confirm information; we cannot supply an address to a name. Please contact us to see if we are able to help in some other way.