Wokingham

In line with new legislation about registering for elections, Wokingham District Council will be sending canvassers to properties who have not registered to vote, in a bid to help people make sure they are registered and able to vote at elections.

The new registration rules require electoral registration officers not only to send out a second registration form to properties who have not responded to the first one, but also to send out canvassers to non-responding properties. Some 60 canvassers, who have all received special training, will be visiting households in the district who have not registered to vote between November 1 and November 17. All canvassers will carry official Wokingham District Council identification cards.

The canvassers will only visit properties where there has been no response from the earlier two forms sent by post – one of these was sent at the beginning of September and the second at the beginning of October. Currently 84% of properties have responded and just under 10,000 forms are still outstanding.

Wokingham Canvassers will knock on doors and ask for the information requested on the form, which includes the names of all those who currently live in the property, their nationalities, whether they are aged over 70, and whether they would like their names to be excluded from the edited electoral register. (The edited register can be sold to mailing companies. Credit companies have access to the unedited version). There is a tick-box for residents who wish to apply for a postal vote and, although residents need to be 18 or over to vote in elections, 16 and 17-year-olds can also be included on the form with their dates of birth. Providing the information on the form is a legal requirement.

Canvassers are required to return to a property if they are unsuccessful the first time they call. If they do not get a response a second time they will leave the form with an instruction sheet for the occupiers and a pre-paid envelope.

“If residents don’t register they can’t vote, and will lose their say in local politics,” said electoral services manager Alison Wood. “In addition the register is used by all the main credit companies as a check when anyone wants a mortgage, a loan or even a mobile phone. If they are not listed, residents may find it difficult to get approval for these kind of services.”

Wokingham District Council