ANNUAL CANVASS - Frequently Asked Questions

The 2008 commenced at the beginning of September when the freephone and internet registration options opened.  The Register of Electors was published on Monday 24th November 2008. 

Once householders received their registration form containing their security codes, they could access their householder details by telephone or on the internet.  Provided that there were no changes required to the details as printed on the form, they could register on behalf of all the members of their household.  If any changes were needed, then they had to complete and return the form to the Electoral Services Office instead.

Asssitance to householders was available for people experiencing any problems accessing either the freephone or internet registration sites, via the Electoral Services Office during normal office hours.

The Electoral Registration Team have had many years' experience dealing with Canvass Queries, so have compiled a list of the most common questions asked.  It might save you the price of a phone call if you can find the answer to your query contained in the following list:

What is the freephone registration telephone number?

• 0800 197 6176 - Please note that this number is ONLY OPERATIONAL between September and midnight on 23rd November 2008, when the Canvass is taking place.

What is the internet registration website address?

• www.registerbyinternet.com/shrewsbury - Please note that this number is ONLY OPERATIONAL between September and midnight on 23rd November 2008, when the Canvass is taking place.

I've typed the internet website address into my search engine, but it won't bring up the right page.  What should I do now?

• You can either log on from this link - www.registerbyinternet.com/shrewsbury - or type that address directly into your computer's browser bar.

Where is the security code printed on the form?

• The security code is printed opposite your address in the top-right hand section of your form.  It is split into two sets of numbers - the first part has 6 digits and the second part has 4 digits.

Do I have to remember my security codes for the future?

• No - They are there to enable you to register by telephone or internet during this canvass period only.  You should only register by telephone or internet if no householder details have changed.

The details pre-printed on my form are wrong - what should I do?

• You will need to cross out anything that is no longer valid and add any new information to the form.  Please then sign it at the bottom of the front page and send it back to the Council using the pre-paid envelope that we have provided for you. 

I have tried to make changes on the phone/internet, but it wouldn't let me do it - what should I do now?

• The telephone or internet should only be used if there are NO CHANGES to make.  If you have registered in this way by mistake, you will now need to cross out anything on the form that is no longer valid and add any new information to the form.  Please then write on the form that it is a "CHANGE TO PHONE/INTERNET REGISTRATION", sign it and send it back to the Council, so that we can make the amendments for you manually.

None of the details on my form have changed - do I need to do anything, or can I just throw the form away?

• We still need you to verify the information, even if it is all correct.  You can use the freephone telephone number and key in your security codes using a touch-tone keypad, or you can use the internet to register your form, again using your security codes.  If you do not wish to use the telephone or internet,  you can simply sign and return the form to us using the pre-paid envelope provided.

How do I know if I've got a "touch tone" phone?

• When you press the numbers, you can usually hear a little "bleep" in the background.  If your phone isn't a "touch tone" phone, then unfortunately, you will have to either register on the internet, or by returning the form to us.

I've only got a mobile phone - can I use that to register?

• Yes, you can register via a mobile phone, rather than on a landline, but please be aware that it will not be a "freephone" call and your usual mobile phone network charges will apply instead.

I'm moving house soon, but I haven't got the actual date yet - what should I do?

• The 2009 Register is compiled and published based on where you are living as at 15th October 2008.
• If you are moving before 15th October, cross out your details but leave the form at the property for the new occupiers to complete and send in to us.  Hopefully there will be a similar form left for you at the property that you are moving into.  If not, please contact us and we can send you a replacement form for your new address instead.
• If you are moving after 15th October, complete the form as normal (or use the freephone or internet options if there are no changes to make), but do remember to contact us again after you have mnoved, so that we can send you a "rolling registration" form.

My husband and I are hoping to go and live abroad - can we still register and vote?

• Yes you can!  It's best to contact the Electoral Services Office for exact advice, as it depends on whether you are already registered and when you are planning to leave.  As a general rule of thumb, you can still vote in our Parliamentary Elections for up to 15 years after leaving the UK, providing that you register as an "overseas elector". 

Why has the form still got the old occupiers' details on it, when we informed you that we'd moved in?

• This may be for one of two reasons:-
• EITHER - You may have informed the Council Tax Office that you had moved in, but did not complete and return a "rolling registration" form to send to the Electoral Services OFFICE;
• OR - If you did complete a "rolling registration" form, it could be that we had not received formal notification that the previous occupants had moved out.  We can't just assume that the former occupants have left, as they may be your relations and would not appreciate being removed from the register, if you have only gone to stay with them on a temporary basis!  Another reason for them not being removed could be that they have not let us know their new address within the Borough, or we have not received notification from another Electoral Officer elsewhere to say that they have now registered in a new area.

Can I just forward this form to the people who used to live here for them to complete?

• No - The form is for that specific property and the new householder should complete the details.  The people who used to live at that address will be getting their own form, which will be addressed to their new property.

My father has gone into hospital temporarily - can I sign the form on his behalf or should I wait until he comes home again?

• Anyone can sign the form to confirm that the details are still correct or need amending.  Please fill in your contact details for us, so that we can get hold of you if we have any queries with the information provided.

My mother has gone into residential care - how do I let you know about this?

• Take her name off the registration form, sign it and return it to us for processing.  All Nursing Homes within Shrewsbury and Atcham will have received a Registration Form, and they are responsible for adding her name to their records.  You may wish to contact us towards the end of the canvass period to check that we have had the details returned from the Nursing Home.

My daughter is going off to university soon - should she be included on the form or not?

• Many students remain on the form at their parents' house whilst they are away studying.  This saves them having to register at their student accommodation.  Many also apply for a postal vote and have their ballot paper sent from Shrewsbury to their college address, or appoint someone back at home to vote on their behalf at their usual polling station.

My son has joined the army - should I still include him on my form?

• Your son can remain on the register at your property as an "ordinary elector", or else he can register in his own right as a "Service Voter".  Service declarations have to be renewed every three years but there is a danger that any special voting arrangements which were set up at the beginning of this period may have become outdated - especially if the Service Voter has not let us know of his new postings elsewhere.

Does everyone in the household need to sign the form?

• No - Just one person can sign on behalf of everybody else during the canvass period.  At other times of the year (December to August) when "rolling registration" rules apply, each individual must sign their own application.  Having said this however, the Government are currently investigating whether or not to bring in individual registration (like in Ireland) throughout the year, but if this does go ahead, this will be well-publicised on a national basis.

Where is the "opt out" box on the form - I can't find it anywhere?

• Each name is printed in a grid on the form - just follow the grid across the page to where it meets the column marked "Edited Register". 

1. If there is a tick there already, it means that you "opted out" on the last published Register.  If you still want to "opt out", leave the tick there. 
2. If there is a tick there but you are now happy for your details to be released to third parties, then you will need to scribble through the tick. 
3. If there is no tick there yet but you now wish to "opt out", then just place a tick against your name in that grid square.

• If you are registering by telephone or internet, then you will have the chance to "opt out" during the registration process.
• Information is printed on the reverse of the Canvass Form about the Full and Edited Registers.  Further more detailed information, including who we send copies of the Register to, is set out in the Electoral Registration pages found on our website.

Is "opting out" the same as removing a name from the Register?

• No - To remove a person from the register, you must cross their name out.  If you just tick the Edited Register column against their entry, that means that that person remains on the register at the property, but will only appear on the Full Register used for voting purposes - in other words, they remain registered but have just "opted out".

The form shows me as being a postal voter - can I cancel this?

• Yes - Just delete the tick for "postal" against your name and return the form to us so that we can amend our records.  At other times of the year, you can write to us and ask us to cancel your postal vote for you, but in the run-up to an election, this must be done no later than 11 working days before polling day.

How can I become a postal voter?

• Just put a tick in the "postal" column and once the new Register has been published, we will send you an application form to complete.  We need certain information from you before we can grant you postal voting status and that is why you need to complete a separate postal voting application form.  We will send the form out to you once the canvass is complete, so you should expect to receive your form in either December or January.

Why have you sent me a reminder when it's not yet 15th October?

• There are over 43,000 properties in Shrewsbury and Atcham and we need to get as many people registered as possible within just a 3 month period.  Many people register straight away, but others can simply forget to do it, so we find that a reminder after 4 to 5 weeks helps to jog people's memories.

I've just received a reminder, but I filled in the original form sent to me - why have you done this?

• We need to send data to the printers about 10 days before the reminders are delivered to householders, so your form may have been received after the data was prepared.  The easiest thing is to telephone us to see whether your form has been received, or else simply complete the second one and send it back to us in the pre-paid envelope provided.  We would prefer you to complete two forms, rather than none at all! 

I've lost my form - The dog's chewed it - I've made a mistake - My child has scribbled over it!  Please help!

• Sit tight and don't panic!  If we don't get your original form back, then you'll receive a reminder automatically in October.  If the same thing happens again, please contact us and we can send you another replacement!

Why do I have to tell you if there are any 16 or 17 year olds in the house and give their dates of birth?  Surely they are too young to vote anyway?

• As soon as someone reaches their 18th birthday, they can vote in relevant elections from that day onwards - providing that they are on the Regsiter of Electors.  By putting those youngsters on the Register with a date of birth, they will automaticaly become eligible to vote at the appropriate time, without having to make their own application to go on the Register once they become 18.

Why have you put my child's name on the form?  They are only 3 years old!

• The only information that we put on the Register is that provided by members of your household.  If the person who filled in the form last year put their son/daughter's name on without a date of birth, we may have unwittingly added those details to the Register.  Please cross through their name and send us the form back, and we will remove their details from the Register.

Why do you need to know my nationality?

• Only people who are British, Irish, Commonwealth citizens or citizens of the European Union are eligible to go onto the Register.  Depending on the type of election being contested, there are further restrictions on who is eligible to vote on the grounds of nationality (eg. European citizens cannot vote in UK Parliamentary Elections, but can vote in Local Elections). 

European Parliamentary Elections are due to be held in the summer of 2009 - I'm Italian, do I need to do anything special to be able to vote in those elections?

• Anyone who says that they have a european nationality (other than British/Irish), will be sent a form called a "UC1" in the Spring of 2009.  Provided that this form is completed and returned to us no later than 11 working days before the European Parliamentary Election takes place, you will be able to vote in that election from your UK registered address.

Why is there no nationality marker for specially for Welsh or Scottish people?

• Just like England, both Wales and Scotland form part of the British Isles and so we have referred to all three nationalities are "British".

The form says that the property is a business premises, but it's turned into a residential property - what should I do?

• Simply cross out the reference to "business premises" and complete all the relevant occupier details, then sign the form and return it to the Electoral Services Office using the pre-paid envelope provided.

This property has been a business premises for a number of years - why do we keep having to fill in a form to send back to you?

• Such premises do sometimes convert back to residential properties - we appreciate your assistance to help us to keep our records accurate.

Why do you ned to know if the property is a "holiday home" or "second home"?

• You can register to vote in more than one place, providing that you live in both places for approximately equal amounts of time during the year.  We may need to contact you to obtain further information from you about this.  Please note that if you are registered in more than one place, it is an offence to vote more than once in the same election.

Why do you need to know my previous address if I moved within the last year?

• Even though you should tell the Electoral Registration Officer by law when you move house, some people forget to do so.  By giving us your old address, we can check our records and make sure that your details are removed from your old property.

Why do you need my contact details - are these going to be published anywhere?

• We find it extremely useful to have either a contact telephone number or e-mail address for your property.  If we have a query during the canvass or in the run up to an election, we may need to contact you urgently and this helps us to do so.  We do not divulge these details to anyone else - they are purely for the use of the Electoral Services Office, so please fill it in!

Why is my son's name at the top of the form - he's not the "Head of the Household"... I am!

• This is something that really does wind people up!  The Register is produced in house number order within alphabetical streets, which are listed within polling districts.  Within each household, we organise the names to appear alphabetically.  So, for example, if "Bernard" and "Allison" have a son called "Alan", on the Register they would appear alphabetically as:  Alan, Allison and then Bernard.

I've filled in the form, but you've sent it back to me - why?

• If we do not understand something that you've put on your form, we may either contact you by telephone or by letter to obtain further details from you.  Also, we do need the form to be signed, so in some cases we will need to return the form to you just to obtain the signature of one of the members of your household as being the "person responsible" for providing the information.

I'm trying to use the internet or freephone to register but can't get through - why not?

• These methods of registering will only be open until midnight on 23rd November 2008.  If you want to register after that time, you will need to contact the Electoral Registration Officer at Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council to obtain  "rolling registration" form.

Why do we need to tell the Electoral Office and the Council Tax Office if we move - surely it's all just one Council?

• Think of it in the same way as having a car - you need to get your car insured, and you also need to get it taxed.  You need both things, but have to get them from two different places.  Here at the Council, the Council Tax Department keep records of the main householder who pays the bills, with perhaps a note of just their partner, husband or wife.  The Electoral Registration Officer keeps a list of all eligible electors living at the property.  It is a legal requirement that you should inform the Electoral Registration Officer who is living at your property.  

Why does my poll number change every year?

• Every time we publish a new Register of Electors, most people have a different poll number.  They vary from one year to the next because sometimes there are more people or less people on the Register within your area, so the poll numbers need to be adjusted and may be slightly higher or lower than previously.  You do not need to remember your poll number when you go to vote, as the Officers on duty will have lists of who is eligible to vote.

Why do you keep sending me these forms every year?

• It's the law!  We need to compile accurate records and this is our way of obtaining information from each householder.

What will happen if I don't fill in the form?

• The law requires you to give the information to the Electoral Registration Officer (Regulation 23 of the Representation of the People Regulations 2001).  Any person failing to comply with or giving false information could be fined up to £1,000.

I have a query which is not covered by any of the sections listed above.  Who should I contact for help?

• Contact the Electoral Registration Team at Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council on 01743 - 281145.  They will be able to help you with your queries between 8.30am and 5.00pm on Mondays to Thursdays, and 8.30am to 4.30pm on Fridays.