Electoral Registration Annual Household Canvass 2024
Annual Canvass 2024
The Annual Canvass is a process each local authority goes through every year to update the Electoral Register. Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) are legally required to keep the register of eligible voters up to date.
From August 2024, we will contact every household in the District to find out if the details on the electoral register are correct. The type of contact you receive depends on the information we hold for the property. The information contains in our letters and emails is based on our records as at mid July 2024. If you have advised us of a change since then, it will not be shown in our documents, so please respond accordingly and update the information accordingly.
We may contact you by email, telephone or post.
Emails from the Electoral Registration Officer will only be sent from the address: elections@maldon.gov.uk
You must reply if you are asked to do so.
Respond to the Annual Canvass online
You will be sent a letter or email that looks like the example shown on this page.
The law says you must respond to the annual canvass if you are asked to do so. The fastest way to respond is online. Complete the following steps:
- Click the link in the email or the button below to visit the Household Response website www.householdresponse.com/maldon
- The communication you receive contains two security codes. Enter both codes on the website to access your household details.
- Make any necessary changes and click Submit
We will send reminders to any households where we do not receive a response. We encourage everyone who must respond to do so as quickly as possible. Only one response per household is required.
By completing the registration process, you will ensure that you are entitled to vote in all upcoming elections
https://www.householdresponse.com/maldon
Email content example
Please respond to the Annual Canvass 2024
Is the electoral register information correct for this address?
Dear [#FIRSTNAME#] [#SURNAME#]
Please respond to the Annual Canvass 2024 so we can check who is eligible to register to vote at your address.
It takes just a few minutes online and all you need is your name, address and your unique security code:
1. Visit our website to find out more information and respond online
2. Enter your unique security code: Part 1: [#CODE1#] and Part 2: [#CODE2#]
3. You will be asked to confirm the names and nationalities of everyone who lives at your address.
Please respond by [#RESPONDBY#].
If you cannot respond online, please call 0800 884 0701 to use the automated phone response service, or email elections@maldon.gov.uk to respond.
Add new members of your household
You can add new members of your household to the Annual Canvass form, but they must also register to vote at gov.uk/register-to-vote. We will send each person an email or a form if they do not apply online.
If you have a query, or need further information, please see our website
Respond by telephone or text
To respond by telephone or text, follow the instructions on the form you receive. Depending on the data we hold for your property and whether you need to make changes, the telephone response will differ.
If you have any queries, or need assistance, please email elections@maldon.gov.uk or call 01621 854477
Why should I respond to the Annual Canvass?
The law says that you must respond to the annual electoral canvass if you are asked to do so.
If you do not reply, it will affect your right to vote, and it may also affect your ability to open a bank account, get credit, a loan or a mortgage as the full register is checked by authorised credit agencies.
Do not register only when you need a mortgage or finance – due to statutory processes and timings that we must adhere to by law it can take several weeks before your entry is visible to credit agencies.
Don't delay - You can save time and expense to the taxpayer and avoid receiving reminders and personal visits by responding to the canvass form promptly after you have received it.
I have lost my form, or not received one
If you have not received a letter/form or any contact from us by mid-September or you have lost it, please contact us for help on 01621 854477 or email elections@maldon.gov.uk
My child is 16. Do I need to add them to the form?
Yes. You must list any children who will be 16 or older at the time you respond. Any children under the age of 16 should not be listed.
I have a second home in the Maldon District. Can I register to vote there?
A person may have more than one home but owning a second property which is visited only for recreational purposes is unlikely to meet the residency qualification for registration. You need to consider if your 'main business of life' is conducted at the second property and how you divide your time between the two.
I live on a caravan park for nine months of the year. Can I register to vote from there?
If you live on-site at a caravan park for 6 months of the year or more, you could qualify as resident there for electoral purposes. Only you can decide if you meet the residency qualification for registration - no-one else at the caravan park can decide that for you.
My child is away at university. Do I have to remove them from the register at my address?
Students can register both at their home address and at their university address, therefore you do not have to remove them from the register at home.
I am an EU citizen. Should I register to vote?
Yes. Although the UK is in the transition period after leaving the EU, the voting rights of EU citizens are currently unaffected. Therefore, you need to ensure your details will appear on the Register of Electors.
Why have you shared my information with the Department of Work and Pensions?
The Electoral Registration Officer as a Data Controller has the right to share data with the DWP for the performance of a task in the public interest under The Representation of the People (Annual Canvass) (Amendment) Regulations 2019.
For more information on data sharing please see our privacy notice at https://www.maldon.gov.uk/terms
If I respond, does that mean I am now registered to vote?
No. The Annual Canvass is not the same as registering to vote.
Once you have responded to the Annual Canvass, you will be able to Register to vote online.
The voter registration system cross-checks against the Annual Canvass, so you need to do both.
I pay Council Tax, so don't you already have my details?
The data held by Council Tax does not include all of the information you are required to give when you register to vote therefore, we are unable to use that information to register you.
If I don't vote, does that mean I don't have to register?
No, you must still respond to the Annual Canvass if asked to.
The law requires you to respond to the canvass, but it is your personal choice whether you use your right to vote or not. IF you do not register, you have no choice.
The form I have received is different to my friend's form. Why is that?
You will receive one of two forms, depending on the information we hold on your property.
Is there a deadline for my response?
The revised Register of Electors will be published by 1 December 2024, and you must respond no later than the 21 November 2024 to be included.
Please reply promptly when you receive the form or email in August. You can save time and costs to the taxpayer and avoid receiving reminders and personal visits by responding to any letters or canvass form promptly.