Rother District Council

How to register? On this page you will find all you need regarding Voter Registration.

To be able to vote at Elections in the UK you must ensure that your name is included in the Electoral Register. Please note that paying council tax does not automatically put you on the Electoral Register and so you must make sure that you register by one of the following ways:

1. Annual Canvass 

2. Rolling Registration

Annual Canvass

The Representation of the People Act (1983) states that the Electoral Registration Officer (ERA) must carry out an annual canvass of properties and produce a revised Register of Electors by 1 December each year.

During the period August to December the Council carries out its annual canvass of all households in the local authority area.  During this time you will receive a canvass form showing the details we currently hold for your address. You need to check the details carefully.  At this point you can amend the details as required, such as remove names, add new ones, request a postal vote or opt out of the Edited Register. It is a legal requirement to respond to this form.

Please see our web page Annual canvass for further details.

Rolling Registration

Outside of the Annual Canvass new electors are added to the register on a monthly basis so if you find that your name does not appear on the Electoral Register or you have moved house since the annual canvass then you can apply to have your name added to the register for your current address.  Similarly, if you find that your details are incorrect or you change your name you can apply under rolling registration to amend your details on the Electoral Register. 

Please see our web page rolling registration for further details.

There are also special arrangements for registering some people such as British Citizens living overseas, Service personnel, homeless people etc.  Please see our special category  for further information.

Who can register

You can register to vote if you are:

· 16 years old or over and

· a British citizen

· or an Irish, qualifying Commonwealth or European Union citizen who is resident in the UK

If you are 16 or 17, you can only register if you will be 18 within the lifetime of the electoral register. You cannot vote until you are 18.

Under related documents there is a link to the full list of Commonwealth and European Union countries. If you are a citizen of one of these countries, and resident in the UK, you are eligible to register to vote in UK elections.

To qualify, Commonwealth citizens must be resident in the UK and either have leave to remain in the UK or not require such leave.

Citizens of the European Union who are not Commonwealth citizens can vote in European and local elections in the UK, but are not able to vote in UK Parliamentary general elections.

Why should I register

If you are not on the Electoral Register you will not be able to have your say and vote in any elections, both locally or nationally.  Also, if your name is not on the register it may affect your credit rating and you could experience problems getting loans, mortgages, finance agreements, mobile phone contracts etc.

How to check if you are registered.

Please contact the electoral services helpline on 01424 787825 or visit one of our customer help points where you can check your entry on the Electoral Register under supervision.  Please note that if your name does not appear on the Electoral Register you will not be able to vote and it may also affect your credit rating.

About The Register

The Register of Electors is a list of people who are eligible to vote.  There are two versions of the electoral register:

1. The Full Register

2. The Edited Register

The full register lists everyone who is entitled to vote and includes their address. Only certain people and organisations can have copies of the full register, and they can only use it for specified purposes. The main use of the full register is for elections and referendums, but it can also be used for other purposes such as the prevention and detection of crime and for checking your identity when you have applied for credit. 

The edited register is a version of the register that can be bought by anyone who wants a copy, and they can use it for any purpose.  Both the annual canvass forms and the rolling registration forms have the facility of 'opting out' of the edited version of the register. That means that the elector's name will only appear in the full register which has the restricted access described above.

Please see our web page - Who has my personal details?? for further information.

Sale and Supply of the Register

The Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001, restricts the sale of the full register to certain government departments and credit reference agencies. The fee is calculated in accordance with section 111 paragraph 5.

The Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001, states that anyone can purchase a copy of the edited register on payment of a fee calculated in accordance with section 10 paragraph 2.

a) in data form, the fee shall be at the rate of £20 plus £1.50 for each 1,000 entries (or remaining part of 1,000) in it.
b) in printed form the fee shall be at the rate of £10 plus £5 for each 1,000 entries (or remaining part of 1,000) in it.

If you wanted to purchase the edited register please contact us on 01424 787825 and we will calculate the cost and explain payment details.

Contact Details

Electoral Registration

Rother District Council

Town Hall

Bexhill-on-Sea

TN39 3JX

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