Annual Canvass

The Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) has a legal duty to make sure that the electoral register is accurate and up to date. In order to do this, we must contact all households in Southwark every year to ensure that all eligible residents are correctly registered at each address. This is called the ‘Annual Canvass’.

The information we receive during the annual canvass is used to update the electoral register by inviting unregistered residents to apply to register and removing the names of people who no longer live at each property.

Additions and amendments made during the canvass take effect when the revised register is published on 1 December.

The register will be used for any elections held during 2025. The next scheduled elections are Southwark Council elections taking place on Thursday 7 May 2026.

• you may receive emails and/or text messages from ‘Southwark Electoral Services’
• you may receive communications by post
• we may also contact you by telephone or in person

How do I respond?

To confirm or update the details for your household:

• visit household response website and enter both parts of the security code that is on the correspondence you have received

If you have no changes to make, you can also respond by:

• text NOCHANGE followed by Part 1 and Part 2 of your security code to 80212 (standard charges apply)
• call 0800 8840701 and when prompted enter part 1 and part 2 of your security code.

Please respond straightaway. If we do not receive a prompt response, by law we must send reminder communications in order to obtain up to date information.

We are using emails and texts to help reduce the costs of obtaining information from all of our residents. Please help us by responding to our request for information as quickly as possible.

If you have any questions about how to respond, email electoral.enquiries@southwark.gov.uk

Whose details should be included?

Everyone who is eligible to register to vote. Residents at the address who are:

• 16 years of age or above
• a British or Irish citizen
• a European Union citizen of Denmark, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, or Spain who has permission to enter or stay in the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man, or who does not need permission - known as 'Qualifying EU citizens’
• a European Union citizen of any other EU country who on or before 31 December 2020 had permission to enter or stay in the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man, or who did not need permission, and this has continued without a break - known as 'EU citizens with retained rights'
• a Commonwealth citizen who has leave to enter or remain in the UK or who does not require such leave

A list of eligible nationalities is available on the Electoral Commission website

Students and second homeowners

• students may register at both their home address and term time address, but can only vote once in the same election
• second home owners can register at more than one address, but only if they are residents in both and split their time equally between the two addresses

Whose details should not be included?

• residents at the address who are under 16 years of age
• residents who are not British, Irish, Commonwealth or eligible European Union citizens
• visitors staying at the address for a short period of time
• landlords who do not live at the property

I am already registered to vote. Do I need to respond?

We are asking for a response from every household. This includes confirmation of NO CHANGE to the information we already hold for your property. Please respond as soon as possible when we contact you.

You must respond to the canvass communication if:

• any information is incorrect, or there are people eligible to register to vote at your address who are not included
• the notification you receive states that you must respond

Some or all of the current occupiers are not yet registered. How can they register?

All new residents need to apply to register. New residents should apply to register to vote online as soon as possible. If their application is successful, they will be added to the register of electors from 1 December 2024. There is no need to wait for us to send an individual registration form to new residents.

Where new names are provided to us, a registration form will be sent by email or post to these individuals. Any new names will not be included in the electoral register until they have made successful applications to register to vote.

How do I remove people who no longer live at my address? (For example, if they have moved out)

To make an amendment visit the household response website:

• enter both parts of the security code provided on the canvass communication
• follow the steps and remove the names of the people who should no longer be registered at your address

I have changed my name. What should I do?

In order to change your name on the electoral register, you will need to provide evidence of your name change, for example, a marriage certificate or deed poll certificate.

Please email a copy of your evidence, alongside details of your address and how you would like your name to appear to electoral.enquiries@southwark.gov.uk

Do I need to include my email address and phone number?

You should include your email address and phone number, but you do not have to. We will only use this information in connection with your registration. It also helps us to contact you if there is a problem.

There is a mistake in the address on the form. Can this be changed?

Email canvass@southwark.gov.uk with your name, address and details of the error.

We will investigate and amend if necessary. Any change will take effect on publication of the revised electoral register on 1 December.

I am about to move address. What should I do?

As soon as you move home, you should apply to register at your new address by visiting the register to vote website.

When making your application you must provide your old address – this will ensure that your name is not on the register in two places at the same time.

Why is the canvass communication not addressed to me?

The purpose of the communication is to identify who should be registered to vote at an address. It is addressed to a ‘Resident’ because the person or people that we have registered at an address may no longer live there at the property.

I am paying Council Tax. Why am I not registered to vote?

Paying Council Tax does not add you to the Electoral Register – not all people paying Council Tax are entitled to be on the electoral register, and not all people entitled to be registered are named on the Council Tax account. The law requires each person to apply to register to vote individually.

I do not vote so why do I have to register?

It is not a legal requirement to vote but the law requires eligible residents to register to vote.

There are also benefits of being on the register that are unrelated to elections. Credit referencing agencies use electoral register data to help verify an individual’s address. If you do not appear on the register, it may affect your ability to obtain credit, get a mortgage or access other financial services.

How do I change my method of voting? (apply for or cancel a postal or proxy vote)

You can apply for a postal vote or for a proxy vote online.

If you wish to cancel an existing postal or proxy voting arrangement, you must do so in writing – please send an email to electoral.enquiries@southwark.gov.uk

You cannot cancel a postal or proxy application on someone else’s behalf - the request must come from the individual concerned.

What is the open (edited) register?

There are two versions of the electoral register – the full version and the ‘open register’:

The full register

Everyone’s name and address appears on the full version of the electoral register. The full version of the register is only used for:

• electoral purposes (including campaigning by political parties)
• preventing and detecting crime
• checking credit applications (used by credit reference agencies)
• jury summoning in England, Wales and Northern Ireland

The open (edited) register

This is an extract of the electoral register, which is not used for elections. Any person, company or organisation can buy a copy of this register. For example, it can be used by businesses and charities to confirm name and address details or for mailing lists.

You may choose to have your name removed from the open register. Removing your details from the open register does not affect your right to vote.

The canvass communication will indicate the registered voters who have opted out of the open register.

How do I remove my name from the open register?

You can ask for your name and address to be excluded from the open register on a permanent basis. You can make your request to the ERO by emailing electoral.enquries@southwark.gov.uk 

• you cannot do this on behalf of another person
• each individual must inform the Electoral Registration Officer separately that they want to do this

Why do you write to my property every year?

The Electoral Registration Officer is required by law to carry out a household canvass each year to determine who should be registered to vote. This includes not only identifying where changes need to be made but also confirming where there is no change needed to registered elector details.

I have responded to the form already. Why have you sent me a reminder form?

It takes several days to print, dispatch and deliver reminder forms. There is always a cross-over period from when we provide data to our print provider and the forms are delivered.

Tell me more about the data you collect

You can find out more about the data we collect, how the data is used and who the data is shared with by accessing the electoral services data privacy notice.

For more information about voter registration and elections, visit GOV.UK website

Page last updated: 24 July 2024