Electoral Registration
Am I registered to vote?
If you filled in the annual canvass registration form that came through your door between September and November 2005 you should still be registered and do not need to register again unless you have moved home since then.
If you are not sure you can contact us on 0141 562 1200 (WDC & EDC) or 01586 55 5300 (ABC)
How do I register to vote?
To register to vote, you need to complete an electoral registration form. Fill it in, sign it personally and return it to us
However, if you have not recently moved home and you filled in and returned the annual canvass registration form that came through your door in autumn 2005, you do not need to register again.
If you are not sure, you can fill in a new form and return it to us.
Can I register to vote over the phone?
No, but you can call us and we will send you a registration form. Contact us on 0141 562 1200 (WDC & EDC) or 01586 55 5300 (ABC)
Do I have to go somewhere to register to vote?
No. You just need to complete and send a registration form to us.
Why do I need to register?
You need to be on the electoral register to vote in all UK elections and referendums. You are not automatically registered even if you pay council tax.
Who can register to vote?
You can register to vote if you are:
16 or over (but you can not vote until you are 18).
A British, Irish Republic or Commonwealth citizen;
A citizen of a European Union country living in the UK; or
A citizen of the Channel Islands or Isle of Man living in the UK.
I am 16/17. Can I register to vote?
Yes. You can register to vote, but you are not allowed to vote until you are 18. If your 18th birthday is just before an election it is a good idea to register now so that you are able to vote on election day.
When can I register to vote?
Most people register between September and November every year when we delivers a registration form to your home. This is known as the 'annual canvass'.
However, you can also register throughout the year as the register is updated monthly from January to September. This is useful if you move home and need to register at your new address.
Do I register once or every year?
You should register between September and November every year when we deliver a registration form to your home.
What do I do if I move home?
You need to complete a registration form and return it to us.
What is the electoral register?
The electoral register is a list of the names and addresses of everyone who is registered to vote. There are two versions of the electoral register - the full register and the edited register. The full register is used for elections, preventing and detecting crime and checking applications for credit.
Anyone can look at the full register, but it is a criminal offence to supply or use copies for purposes other than those set down in law.
The edited register is available for general sale and can be used for commercial activities such as marketing.
Your details will appear on the full register but you can choose whether or not your details appear on the edited register.
Why can't I get credit?
If you have been denied credit because your bank or credit reference agency are unable to verify your details on the electoral register, this is because the electoral register is often used for credit referencing purposes to counteract fraud. In this case, you need to contact us for confirmation that you are registered. We can supply you with a letter confirming your details on the electoral register. Sometimes the records maintained by credit reference agencies are incorrect - they should be able to supply you with a copy of your record so that you can check the details.
If you have already provided confirmation that you are registered to your bank or credit reference agency, then any further problems will have to be taken up with them, not with us.
If you are not registered to vote, you can download and complete an electoral registration form from our website www.dab-vjb.gov.uk or contact us on 0141 562 1200 (WDC & EDC) or 01586 55 5300 (ABC) and we will send a form to you.
Can I search the electoral register online?
Electoral registration is performed locally by the local electoral registration office for each area and there is currently no official centralised electoral register that can be searched online.
However, there are two versions of the electoral register - the full version and the edited version. The full register is used only for elections, preventing and detecting crime and checking applications for credit. The edited register is available for general sale and can be used for commercial activities such as marketing. It is possible to search the edited register using online commercial organisations, but it is not possible to search the full register in this way, as the full registers are only available to view in hard copy at each local electoral registration office and some libraries or council offices.
The full register can only be inspected "under supervision".
Extracts from the full register may only be recorded by making hand-written notes. Photo copying or electronic recording is not permitted by law.
Information taken from the full register should not be used for commercial purposes, unless the information has been published in the edited version of the register.
Any person who contravenes the restrictions in use shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding £5000
What can local councillors use the full register for?
Regulation 102 entitles Councillors to request a free copy of any revised version of the Register of Electors published under section 13(1) or (3) of the 1983 Act, any notice setting out an alteration to the register published under section 13A(2) or 13B(3) of that Act and any list of Overseas Electors
However, once a Councillor has been supplied with a copy of the full register they may not -
(a) supply a copy of the full register to any person;
(b) disclose any information contained in it, or
(c) make use of any such information,
except for purposes in connection with the office by virtue of which he/she is entitled to the full register or for electoral purposes.
Advice from the Electoral Commission is that "electoral purposes" should be defined as anything to do with the process of campaigning and getting elected. Fundraising, including by political parties, for the purposes of communicating with voters and campaigning to get elected counts as "electoral purposes". The regulations apply to the period between elections and equally to people who are not members of political parties.
Any person who contravenes the restrictions in use specified above shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding £5000.
