Each year the Electoral Registration Officer is required to undertake an Annual Canvass of all households in the borough to check that the information on the electoral register is up to date. It is a legal requirement for residents to confirm details relating to their property.
Crawley Borough Council is starting the annual canvass to update the Register of Electors on 26 July.
A Household Enquiry Form (HEF) will be sent to every property in the borough with the details of residents currently registered to vote at the property.
You must respond as soon as possible to confirm or change your details. Anyone in the household can respond to the household enquiry form. You can also respond by telephone, text message or on the internet using your unique security code which can be found on your property's form.
Reminder forms will be sent from 30 August to all households where no response has been received. However, it is inevitable that some will cross in the post.
This form is not a registration form but residents do need to complete it.
The aim of the form is to ensure that the electoral register is up to date and to identify any residents who are not registered so that they can be encouraged to do so. A separate invitation to register form will then be sent to any new residents who are eligible and need to register. Following completion of the HEF, anyone that needs to register can also go online at: www.gov.uk/register-to-vote.
By completing the registration process, you will ensure that you can vote in elections in 2020.
If you do not receive a form by 9 August or you need help completing the form, contact the Electoral Services Team on 01293 438572 or elections@crawley.gov.uk .
Completing the household enquiry forms using our automated services:
Please check the names of the people printed on the household enquiry form who are currently registered to vote at this address. If no-one is currently registered, the form will be blank.
If there are NO CHANGES and the details are correct, you can confirm this to us by us by using one of the options in the No Change Box.
You will need your two unique security codes provided on the letter to use the automated services. Do not return the form if you have confirmed using one of the automated options.
If there are CHANGES to be made i.e. details need to be amended, someone needs to be added or removed, then you can either use the option in the Changes Box or return the form by post.
If you tell us there are new people eligible to be registered, we will send each person an Invitation to Register (ITR) form. This form invites that person to apply to register to vote. Individual registration forms ask you to give your date of birth and National Insurance number. Alternatively, you can register online by visiting www.gov.uk/register-to-vote.
The law says that you must respond to the annual electoral canvass. If you do not register, it will not only affect your right to vote, 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 authorized credit agencies.
Do not register only when you need a mortgage or finance – Due to prescribed processes and timings that we must observe by law it can take a month 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 in July.
The revised Register of Electors will be published by 1 December 2019 and you must respond no later than the 16 November 2019 to be included.
Town Hall The Boulevard Crawley RH10 1UZ Tel: 01293 438572 Web: www.crawley.gov.uk Email: elections@crawley.gov.uk