Moved house? Make sure you haven’t removed your ability to vote

Greater Manchester residents who have moved house in the last 18 months are being encouraged to make sure they are registered to vote at the right address.

The reminder has been issued with just over a month to go until the General Election and local elections on Thursday 7 May.

Poll cards will start being sent out next week to addresses across the region for the people registered there, with households where no one is registered also being informed to make sure this information is correct.

But there are concerns that people who have moved house since they last registered may be registered at the wrong address – or no longer registered at all.

Although there are no official figures, it is estimated that tens of thousands of people across Greater Manchester will have moved house during the last year and a half.

Theresa Grant, on behalf of the Greater Manchester electoral registration campaign, said: “With vital elections looming, it’s important that people who have moved recently make sure they are registered at the correct address. We don’t want people to turn up at a polling station only to find out they are registered elsewhere, or aren’t registered at all.

“If people are in any doubt, we’d encourage them to contact their local council’s election team to check.”

Registering to vote is quick and easy and you can do it online in less than five minutes at www.gov.uk/registertovote - you just need to have your National Insurance number handy.

ENDS

Issued: 25 March 2015.