Make sure you’re on the Electoral Register

Households in the borough will start to receive a form this week from Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council’s Electoral Registration Officer asking residents to update or confirm that their details are correct on the electoral register, as part of the annual electoral registration canvass.

Each year a Household Enquiry Form is sent to every household to ensure the electoral register is up to date and to identify anybody who is not registered and to delete those who have left the property. Residents must provide the information to the Electoral Registration Officer even if there are no changes to make.

Even those people who registered for the recent European elections, will still need to confirm that their details are correct for this revised version of the register, which the Electoral Registration Officer has to publish in December every year.

With all of the borough council seats up for election, parish elections and the Police and Crime Commissioner elections on Thursday 7 May 2020, this is an opportunity for residents to make sure they will be able to vote. Being on the register is also important because credit agencies check the names and addresses of people applying for credit and is also used to detect and prevent crime.

Ensuring your name is on the register of electors is essential and people are asked to respond updating or confirming their details by following the simple instructions on the form. The quickest way of responding is online, via text message or over the phone and you don’t need to return the form if you use one of these methods.

The borough council’s Electoral Registration Officer Melbourne Barrett said: “Anyone that wants to vote must be registered. To make sure you are able to have your say at the elections next year simply check the form when it arrives and respond as promptly as possible. Doing this online, by text or phone at any time day or night is the quickest and easiest way.”

The revised register of electors will be published in December 2019. For more information call 01256 844844 or visit www.basingstoke.gov.uk/canvass