What is the annual canvass?

The Electoral Registration Officer has a duty to maintain an electoral register for the area and to conduct an annual canvass of all residential properties. Between July and December each year, the local authority will contact every household to confirm who lives at the property and check who is eligible to vote.

Your household may be contacted by post or email. We also conduct personal canvassing by telephone or by visiting your property in person.

Do I have to respond?

If you receive a communication from us, please check your electoral registration details are correct. If you need to make any changes, please respond as soon as you can. This will help us save money, as if you do not respond we are required to send a reminder form or visit your property in person.

If the details are correct, you may not need to respond. This will depend on your circumstances, so please follow the instructions on the form.

If you need to make changes to your details, the easiest way to do so is online. If your details are correct, you can also respond by telephone or by text message. Further information on how to use these options is included on the form. Alternatively, you can respond by updating the paper form and posting it back to us at the following address: Electoral Registration Officer, Rother District Council, Town Hall, London Road, Bexhill-on-Sea, TN39 3JX.

What happens next?

If you have added someone to the form when you respond they will not automatically be registered to vote. We will contact them individually to ask them to register to vote. Alternatively, they can register to vote online on the GOV.UK website.

You are not automatically registered just because you pay council tax. Being registered to vote means you will be able to vote in elections and referendums and have your say in the issues that matter to you. 

It is a legal requirement to provide information when asked to do so by the Electoral Registration Officer.