Electoral Registration and the Annual Canvass

Register of Electors

Formal notice on the publication of Revised Register of Electors 2024 can be viewed at: Publication of Revised Register 2024.

Electoral register

The Electoral Register (full register) lists the name and address of everyone who is registered to vote in public elections. The council holds a copy which anyone can look at under supervision. No photocopying is allowed although some handwritten notes are permissible.

We use this register for electoral purposes, such as making sure only eligible people can vote. It is also used for other limited purposes specified in law, such as detecting crime (e.g. fraud), calling people for jury service and checking credit applications.

Credit reference agencies can use it, but only to check your name and address if you are applying for credit and for other purposes specified in law.

Elected members are entitled to receive a copy of the full register for the constituency / ward that they represent.

The open register

The open register is an extract of the electoral register but is not used for elections. It can be purchased by any person, company or organisation.  For example, it is used by businesses and charities to confirm name and address details.

Your name and address will be included in the open register unless you ask for them to be removed or state this when you register to vote.

You can remove your details at any time by contacting the electoral registration office.  Removing your details from the open register does not affect your right to vote.

You can contact the electoral services team by email on elections.office@havant.gov.uk or phone on (023) 9244 6225.

In addition, the electoral registration officer will process your personal information under current data protection legislation.

The Annual Canvass

Each year the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) has a legal requirement to carry out an annual canvass to ensure the electoral register is accurate and complete.

How does the canvass work?

Data matching - Electoral register data is sent securely to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) database to be matched. Electors' names and addresses will be matched against National Insurance details and the information held by the DWP. In addition, the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) has the discretion to use local data, for example, council tax records, to perform a matching exercise.

Do I need to respond to the Annual Canvass?

The data matching exercise will decide which route a property goes into for the canvass. If we match all electors registered in a property with Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), we will send you a Canvass Communication A letter (CCA).

If you receive this letter, you will only need to respond if your household information has changed.

If we have not matched each elector registered at your property, you will receive a Canvass Communication B letter (CCB). You will need to respond even if the information in the letter is still correct. Therefore, you will report no change, or you will be letting us know of any changes that have occurred within your household.

How can I respond to the canvass?

As in previous years, we are trying to promote automated methods of response:

• Online response to the Annual Canvass: You will need to include the unique two-part security code included on the form.
• Phone: call 0800 197 9871, and when prompted, enter part 1 and part 2 of the security code.
• Text: NOCHANGE followed by security codes to 80212. If nobody in the property is eligible to register to vote, a reason should be included after the security codes, e.g. empty, business, second home. There is a standard rate charge using text.
• By post: Use the pre-paid envelope provided.

Annual Canvass FAQs

Is the data I enter online secure?

Yes. The online registration service and the data you provide is secure. It has been independently accredited, tested for security and developed to meet best practice guidelines for data security.

Why is the letter addressed to Dear Resident?

We address all canvass property communications to Dear Resident as someone else may have moved into the property since our last communication.

When I add a name to the form does this mean they are registered?

No. The form provides us with information about new residents, but each person must then visit www.gov.uk/registertovote to complete their registration. Alternatively, we will send each person an Invitation to Register (ITR) form.

I am already registered. Will I still get an annual canvass communication?

Yes. Each year, we will contact every household to find out if there have been any changes to anyone living at your address. If there are changes, you must provide the information requested. The purpose of the canvass communication is to confirm who lives at your address. We can then invite other residents, including 16- and 17-year-olds, who can register and vote when they become 18 years of age.

What happens after I complete the canvass communication?

If all information is correct – there is nothing further to do. However, if you added any new names at the property, we will send out Invitation to Register forms. If names are crossed out, it will enable us to remove anyone who no longer lives at the property.

What is the Invitation to Register form (ITR)?

Once a Canvass response has been completed, and a new eligible people added to a property, we will send an Invitation to Register form by post. Alternatively, you can visit www.gov.uk/registertovote

You will need to include the following:

• National Insurance number
• date of birth
• previous address in the last 12 months,
• postal voting preferences
• whether you wish to appear on the open register

You will not be registered to vote without completing this information.

Who is eligible to register to vote?

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 (except for service voters or overseas voters)

17-year olds and some 16-year olds are entitled to be included on the register as attainers. They can vote when they are 18.

Commonwealth citizens must be resident in the UK and have leave to enter or remain in the UK. The definition of a Commonwealth citizen includes citizens of British Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories.

Citizens of the European Union (who are not Commonwealth citizens or citizens of the Republic of Ireland).

I’m listed on the form, but my name has changed

If your name has changed, you can scan and email a copy of your change of name document, deed poll or marriage certificate to: elections.office@havant.gov.uk

Why has a canvasser knocked on my door – how do I know they work for you?

If we haven't received a response from you by September, we employ canvassers to go door knocking to follow up a response. It is their job check any outstanding information, please provide them with the information they request.

Personal canvassers work for the council and are fully trained to help you complete the canvass form. They will have an ID badge to confirm that they are authorised to work for us. You can ask to see their badge at any time.

You can also phone us on 023 9244 6225 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm) and we will confirm their name.

I’m a foreign national, refugee, asylum seeker, can I register?

You can only be added to the register if you are a British, Irish, Commonwealth or an EU Citizen. Having leave to remain does not qualify you to be added to the Electoral Register unless you also qualify by your nationality.

This is my second home – can I register here as well?

In some cases, if you live at more than one address, you may be eligible to register at both, please contact us on 023 9244 6225 to discuss this further.

I am a student – where can I register?

Students can register at both their term time university address and their home address, but it is your choice

Do I need to register, and what happens if I don't?

If we have invited you to register to vote by post, you must respond. If you don't, we will send you reminders, and someone could visit your home.

At the end of this process, we may send you a requirement to register; if you fail to do so without providing an adequate reason, you may be fined £80. Not being registered can also impact applications for mortgages or mobile phones since credit reference agencies use the electoral register to validate applications.

I don’t vote – can I ignore the form?

No. The law requires eligible residents to register when requested. There are benefits of being on the register that are unconnected with elections. Credit reference agencies are entitled to receive the electoral register. They use the information as verification of an individual’s address. If you are not registered it can have an impact on your credit score. If someone is not on the electoral register it may affect their ability to:

• get credit (loans, mobile phone contracts etc);
• get a mortgage;
• access other financial services

Why do you need to know if I am over 76?

If you are over 76, please indicate this on your form or when you register online. Following a recent change in the law, you can serve on a jury up to the age of 75. Anyone over 75 is no longer eligible to perform Jury service and we must supply this information to the Jury Summoning Service.

Empty properties/Landlord or business premises

You still need to respond. If no one is listed on the form, please call free on 0800 197 9871 or online at www.householdresponse.com/Havant (you will need the security codes from your form) to confirm the property is still empty.

If someone’s details are on the form, but the property is now empty – you can either: Visit www.householdresponse.com/Havant (you will need the security code from your form) or

Tick the property is empty box (in the “no one at address is eligible” section), sign the form and return it in the envelope provided.

No-one Eligible to vote?

If nobody in your household is eligible to register to vote due to nationality, you still need to notify us by responding to your canvass form. You can do this online www.householdresponse.com/Havant

If the canvass communication you have received is already blank, you can also either:

phone: 0800 197 9871 to record a “no change” response using the automated phone line

text service – text ‘NOCHANGE’ followed by your two-part security code to 80212.

If you are unable to use one of the automated services, please amend the paper form and return it in the pre-paid envelope provided.

The address shown on my form has changed or is incorrect

Please advise us of any property changes, which we will pass on to our street naming and numbering team to investigate.

Will my details be shared with other organisations?

Using information received from the public, we keep two registers:

• Electoral Register
• Open register

We provide yearly and monthly updates of the open register to the main credit reference agencies. If you have an issue, we can provide a certificate of residency free of charge.

We can email this certificate to you to confirm your current electoral registration, which you can then pass to your credit reference agency.

Further questions?

If you have any questions about the canvass, please email the Elections Team at elections.office@havant.gov.uk