What is Individual Electoral Registration? An Introduction to Individual Electoral Registration
What is Individual Electoral Registration? From 10 June, 2014 the way we register to vote across England and Wales changed. The new system of registration means.... You can now register on line at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote Everyone is responsible for registering themselves – under the old system, the ‘head of the household’ could register everyone who lived at their address You need to provide more details to register – including your National Insurance Number and Date of Birth
Why the change? Why have things changed? Government has introduced the change to : Increase personal responsibility Strengthen engagement in the democratic process Reduce fraud Increase voter confidence in accuracy of the electoral register
What is Individual Electoral Registration? Why is it so important to register? You need to register to be able to vote and have your say in future elections and referendums Some people also register because they want to apply for credit. This is because credit reference agencies use the register to confirm where someone lives to counteract fraud You could receive a Civil Penalty Notice with a fine of £80 The number of people on the register should reflect the actual population so that funding decisions are based on the number of people we provide services for The number of people on the register is used to decide where Ward and Parliamentary boundaries are drawn, so can affect the number of Councillors and MPs that represent us
What is Individual Electoral Registration? How will the change happen? There is a transition phase between June and December 2014 that makes it easy for most people who are already registered to move from the old register to the new one without having to do anything….. The electoral register in June was sent to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and all names and addresses were matched against DWP records Everyone whose details match exactly will go straight onto the new register and will be sent a letter in July to confirm this
What is Individual Electoral Registration? What if the details don’t match? Each person whose details don’t match will be posted an individual ‘Invitation to Register’ �
What is Individual Electoral Registration? The Invitation to Register The Invitation includes an application form which asks for National Insurance number and Date of Birth (the Electoral Registration Officer will ask for further information if these can’t be provided). When a completed application is returned, details will be checked in the same way as before (against the DWP database or local records) and if they match they will be added onto the register and sent the confirmation letter Those who don’t respond will be sent another Invitation and if they still don’t respond, a Canvass Inspector will visit them The easiest way of responding to the Invitation to Register is on line – www.gov.uk/register-to-vote
What is Individual Electoral Registration? The Household Enquiry Form Some addresses have no registered voters - maybe because the property has been empty or the people living there previously weren’t eligible to vote - and we need to check that this is correct. A Household Enquiry Form will be sent to these properties to gather details of who lives there and an Invitation to Register will be provided to each person who is eligible
What is Individual Electoral Registration? If you move When you move, you don’t get registered at your new address automatically, even if you pay council tax. The easiest way to register at your new address is to go on line to www.gov.uk/register-to-vote
What is Individual Electoral Registration? After the transition phase The new Electoral Register will be published on 1 December 2014 Starting in summer 2015 there will be a household canvass of all properties to confirm who lives there and ensure new potential electors are registered A new electoral register will be published on 1 December 2015 This process will be completed each subsequent year
What is Individual Electoral Registration? So now you know how important it is to be registered and how to make sure you can have your say – but how can you help others? Your friends, family, colleagues and neighbours might not understand that they now have to take personal responsibility for registering, especially if someone else always did it for them. Can you help spread the message about the change? People might not know their National Insurance Number? It can be found on the National Insurance card or in official paperwork such as payslips or letters about benefits or tax credits Can you help someone who is nervous about going on line to register? Draw people’s attention to the national campaign including tv and radio messages running from 1 July to 8 August
What is Individual Electoral Registration? And what about at work ? Do you come into contact with residents regularly or manage staff that do? You can help to make sure residents are registered under the new system. Here are a few ideas….. � Ask if they are on the register - have they received a confirmation letter or responded to an Invitation to Register? � Explain how important it is – being able to vote, getting credit from reputable sources, making sure your local authority’s funding reflects the population numbers and is represented by the right number of Councillors and MPs � Guide them to the on line portal? � Help them to complete the form face to face or over the phone? � Put up posters and leave information leaflets in public areas?
What is Individual Electoral Registration? If you have regular contact with residents, it would be really helpful if you could encourage people to register to make sure that as many residents as possible are included.
What is Individual Electoral Registration? Thank you for listening And now a quick quiz to check what you have learnt ……………
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