Reminders to join the voters’ roll

Reminder letters are being sent to individuals who haven't yet registered under the new Individual Electoral Registration system.

Councillor Sandra Walmsley, cabinet member for resource and regulation, said: "The electoral registration system has been changed nationally, which now means that everybody is responsible for registering themselves, as opposed to the previous system of one member in every household registering all who lived at that address. You can also register online. 

"All residents should have received a letter advising them that they are either already registered or inviting them to do so. We are now in the process of sending reminders out to those that haven't registered, reminding them that it is a legal requirement to do so. I would encourage all residents to register quickly in order not to lose their democratic right to vote.”

To register online, people simply need to go online at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote and make sure they have their National Insurance number to hand.

When registering, people will also need to decide whether they want their details to appear on the open register - this is a version of the register that is not used for elections but can be bought by any person, company or organisation. People are automatically included on the open register when they register unless they choose to opt out. Opting out does not affect someone's right to vote.

Anyone who has registered recently but received a reminder letter should ignore it.

ENDS

Press release issued: 10 October 2014.