Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council will be contacting households across the borough throughout the summer to ensure their details are correct on the electoral register as part of the annual canvass.
Each year the council is required by law to contact households to confirm the names of residents are correct on the electoral register or update them.
As part of the process, a data matching exercise is carried out with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
If the data the council holds is consistent with the DWP, residents will receive an email from electoral.services@basingstoke.gov.uk or paper form with their current details.
If the details are correct, no further action is required but residents should report any changes to the council’s electoral services team. Households who have consented to receiving electoral registration updates by email will receive an email from electoral.services@basingstoke.gov.uk with the subject line ‘Do Not Delete – You need to respond. Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council are updating the electoral register.’
If the data is not consistent with the DWP data or a property is empty, households will receive paper forms to update the current details.
From Wednesday 30 October and throughout November, representatives from the council, known as canvassers, will visit households that have not responded to letters sent to them. The canvassers will have a clear Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council ID badge and will support residents to update their details.
For residents who are eligible to register to vote, it is a legal requirement to be on the electoral register. As well as giving people the opportunity to vote, the electoral register is also used by credit agencies to check the names and addresses of people applying for credit, jury duty selection and to carry out identity checks to detect fraud and money laundering.
The council’s Democratic and Electoral Services Manager Jack Grounds said: “The council is required by law to obtain and confirm the names of residents to check who is eligible to register to vote and ensure our electoral register is up to date. Responding to your canvass form is simple and can be done online, by text or phone at a time that suits you.”
The full revised register of electors will be published on 1 December 2024. For more information call 01256 845467 or visit www.basingstoke.gov.uk/canvass