Annual canvass
How to complete the annual update of the electoral register.
Annual canvass update
Our personal canvassers are now out and about chasing up non-responding households. We just need a return so we know if we are missing anyone to be registered or to remove someone who is no longer resident.If you have any concerns you can check with us by calling 01799 510 510.
Find out what our canvassers will be doing
Over 30,000 annual canvass emails were sent to residents across the district during August asking them to to check their information and respond online if any changes are needed.
Over 40% of individuals contacted by email responded last summer.
How it works
Canvass reform means that we usually data match all households with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) database in early June. However due to the general election the national data match was run at the end of July.
This year we have matched 77% of all householders. Last year we achieved a 73% match against households across the district.
Where we have matched all electors
Households where we have matched all electors will get a communication from us. Where we hold an email (about 40% of households) we will communicate this way.
What you need to do
Someone must respond on behalf of everyone in the household to say there are no changes.
Emails were sent around 5 August. These were sent via the secure government tool of GOV.UK Notify.
⚠ If you have received an email you will be required to confirm your household response.
Confirm online
By going to the update service website on householdresponse.com
Confirm now
Make sure you have your 2 part security code to hand.
Confirm by phone
Telephone: 0800 8840701 (Freephone)
Confirm by text
SMS: Text NOCHANGE followed by your security codes (part 1 and part 2) to 80212
⚠ If you confirm by calling the Freephone number or by text you can only tell us that there are no changes.
If you do not reply
If you did not reply to the email after 14 days, we will have sent you a letter confirming your details .
Reminder
Any reminder we send will be by post at the same time as we write to the 60% of the households where we do not hold an email address.
The letter which is green in colour does not require a response. If there are any changes it tells you to go online to make them.
Where we have not matched all electors
For the 27% of households that we have not matched all electors against national or local records to confirm continued occupation at the household. These will have been sent a yellow coloured letter in early July asking for action to be taken by someone in the household to confirm or update our records.
Action is taken by calling the automated Freephone number on the letter (for no changes) or online where you can make changes. You do NOT need to send the letter back to us. Again please do this ASAP as a couple of weeks later we have to send a reminder.
If you do not reply
We chase up non-responders with a canvass form - this does require a response that you should ideally make online or by calling the Freephone number. Alternatively you could post this form back to us with any amendments made.
We chase up non responders from late September so households may get a phone call or email from us in the Elections Office, or failing that a door-knock from one of our personal canvassers during October. They carry ID and will not enter your house. They will just encourage you to make a return.
If there are changes we need to make sure we have made them so you are able to vote in any elections. Not being registered can also affect your credit score.
If you need to find out more
We have put together some frequently asked questions to help you.
What happens next
Anyone who is added to a property will still need to register to vote unless they have already registered via the online response service.
We will send an 'Invitation to Register Form' to anyone who is added to the paper canvass form so that they can register to vote. You can also register to vote online.
Remember that by completing the canvass form you are not registering to vote, only confirming the names of people at the property.
If you remove anyone from the form we will write to you to confirm that they no longer live at the property.
Electoral register
The Electoral register is a list of the names and addresses of everyone who is registered to vote within Uttlesford's electoral area.
The new electoral register will be published on 1 December.
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