Make sure you can vote – look out for a form coming through your door
Friday, 26 July 2019
We're asking you to look out for the annual Household Enquiry Forms (HEF) which will be delivered from 2 August to every property in Central Bedfordshire.
We'd like to also remind you that you need to keep your Electoral Register records up-to-date if you want to vote in future elections.
The annual canvass, which takes place between 2 August and 3 November, allows us to capture information that ensures that everyone who is eligible, gets to have their say when it comes to polling day. We're required to do this every year by law, so we can ensure our records are up to date when the Electoral Register is published on 1 December.
Once you have returned your HEF, it’s easy to register to vote if you haven’t already done so – you can register to vote online.
Any eligible person over the age of 16 can register to vote in forthcoming elections, but you can only vote in an election or referendum if your name appears in the register of electors and you are aged 18 or over on polling day.
You need to respond to the HEF whether the details have changed or not. If the details on the form are correct, you can confirm this by:
- phoning the number on the form
- texting NOCHANGE, followed by part 1 and part 2 security code on the form
- signing the form and sending it back
If the details are incorrect you can make changes online, using the security code on the form. Alternatively, you can amend the form by crossing out the names of those no longer living at the address and adding the names of all those eligible – including 16- and 17-year olds (do not include anyone under the age of 16) and sending it back to us.
Councillor Richard Wenham, Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Corporate Resources, said:
It’s important that residents respond as soon as possible, so that we can make sure we have the right details on the electoral register for every address in Central Bedfordshire. In particular we are encouraging anyone who has recently moved address to look out for the form because we know that recent home movers are far less likely to be registered than those that have lived at the same address for a long time.
Residents are being urged to respond by 21 August 2019 to save sending out reminders or sending a canvasser to make a personal visit.
Email electoral.registration@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk, if you have any questions, or write to:
Electoral Services
Central Bedfordshire Council
Priory House
Monks Walk
Chicksands
Bedfordshire
SG17 5TQ