On this page you will find all you need regarding Voter Registration.

Topics covered include How to vote, What age you must be, Which Register you wish to be in and What to do if your name is left out of the Register.

How can I vote?

To be able to vote at elections in this country you must ensure that your name is included on the Voters Register compiled and maintained by Rother District Council Voter Registration.  The requirements are that you are a British Citizen (born in this country) or an Irish Republican Citizen (born in Ireland) or a Commonwealth Citizen (born in any of the countries listed in the link below). Citizens of Countries of the European Union resident in the Rother District are eligible to vote at and stand for election at European Parliamentary and local government elections; they are, however, only able to participate in Parliamentary Elections in their state of birth.

List of Commonwealth Countries and British Dependent Territories in Schedule 3 to the British Nationality Act 1981
Click on the link to view the list  Eligible Voters in the Commonwealth and EU [10kb]

What age must I be to vote?

To be able to vote on the day an election is held you must be 18.  However, when the annual registration form is received the head of the household must declare on the form those children resident at the household who are aged 16 and 17 ("Attainers" as they are formally known) who will reach the age of 18 during the life of the register.

How is the Voters Register published?

Registration forms are delivered by the Electoral Services Office to every household during late Summer and Autumn of every year as part of the Annual Canvass.  These must be completed by the head of each household to include the names of every eligible elector living in the property.  The completed registration forms should be returned to the Electoral Services Office.  With the new regulations the Register has become a 'rolling register'.  This means you can be registered every time you move at most times throughout the year.

Until 2001, any company, organisation or person could buy a copy of the register.  But the Government changed the law so that now you have some choice about who can buy details of your name and address.  Under the changes there are two versions of the register: the full version and the edited version.  When you fill in your electoral registration form, you will be able to chose whether you want your details included in the edited register.  For more information about the two registers, you can view a leaflet in PDF format from the Electoral Commission which can be downloaded from the column on the right.

Both registers will be published each year on 1st December but only the edited register will be offered for sale. Members of the of the public will be able to view the full register at Council offices under supervision.  For more details about purchasing the register, see below.

The register will run from 1st December in one year to 30th November the following year.

This is the register which is used to identify electors for voting at an election together with any claims that have been added up to the monthly list prior to the close of nominations for any election.

Where is the Register of Electors kept?

The full electoral register is available for inspection under supervision at Council offices.

Can the Register be purchased?

There are two versions of the register published on 1st December each year.  The full register that can only be sold to authorised credit reference agencies, but can be viewed by anyone at Council offices under supervision.  Credit Companies use the registers to check that applicants for credit live at the address they have specified.  A reason for being denied credit could be that a resident's name does not appear in the voters register.  The edited register  is available for general sale to anyone for any purpose. You can choose not to be on the edited register.  For more information about the two registers, you can view a leaflet in PDF format from the Electoral Commission which can be downloaded from the column on the right.

What happens if my name is left out?

The register of electors is now  a 'rolling register'. If your name does not appear in the voters register due to an omission or because you have moved you can now download an application form (see right) for completion and be added at any time throughout the year.  Providing there is no objection to the claim, the claimant will become an elector from the beginning of the following month.  If an objection to the claim is received then a Court of Hearing must be held to decide if the claim can be allowed.

If a claim is received after the close of nominations for an election, the claimant cannot vote at that election.

If your name is not included on the voters register on the day of an election you will be unable to vote at that election.

You cannot use the rolling registration form between September and December, as this is the time that the Annual Canvass takes place.