Annual Canvass 2023

You can register to vote if:

• you are aged 16 years or over (although you will not be able to vote until you turn 18)
• British, Irish or EU citizens, or
• a Commonwealth citizen who has leave to remain in the UK or who does not require leave to remain in the UK.

You can use the tools on the Electoral Commission: Register to vote (opens new window) site to find out if you are eligible to register to vote. Scroll down to the 'Answer some questions to find out if you can register to vote' section on the Electoral Commission: Register to vote (opens new window) page to find out.

You will be contacted every year to find out if there have been any changes to who is living at your address. If there are changes, you must provide the information requested. The purpose of the canvass communication is to confirm who lives at your address. This means we can invite other residents, including any 16 and 17 year-olds, to register to vote if we need to.

In order to know who is eligible to register to vote, including any 16 or 17 year-olds, we need to know who lives at your address. The canvass communication is designed to collect this information. The information provided on the form will allow us to send a separate individual registration form to all the people in your household who are eligible and need to register.

Any new names provided on the form will be sent a form to register to vote. Registering to vote is quick and easy online at https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote (opens new window).

Anyone crossed out on a canvass from will allow us to remove them from the electoral register at that address. In order to be removed from the electoral register we need two pieces of evidence so we might write to that person individually to check if they are registered. If no response is received they will be automatically deleted from the register after 14 days.

Anyone changing their name on the register will be contacted to confirm their change of name. The most common reasons for this is marriage. You may be contacted to ask for a copy of your marriage certificate or deed poll.

Your name on the electoral register should be the same as on any official documents so please include your full name including any middle names.

If anyone listed on the form is not living at your address, their name/s should be clearly crossed through.

You need to include the name and nationality of everyone aged 16 or over who is resident and eligible to register to vote. If there are no eligible residents, you should give a reason why e.g. business premises, second home.

You are invited to include your email address and phone number on the canvass form, but you do not have to. We will use this information only in connection with your registration, and it helps us to contact you if there is a problem.

You should complete and return the registration form or register online at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote (opens new window). The canvass communication is not a registration form, but instead provides us with information on who lives in your household. This means we can invite other residents, including any 16 or 17 year-olds, to register to vote if we need to.

The online service and data you provide is secure. It has been independently accredited, security tested and developed to meet the best practice guidelines for data security. Householdresponse.com is hosted by Civica Xpress who are accredited by the government. You can see their accreditation under operational security at gov.uk

Civica Xpress have a privacy notice explaining how your data is processed and kept secure.

Civica Xpress - Privacy, Security and Copyright Statement - Civica Election Services (opens new window)

As a student you can register to vote at both your term time and home address. This means that you will be able to vote if an election is called at short notice. If you register to vote at home and term time address you are able to vote at local elections at both addresses. It is a serious offence to vote twice at a national election such as a Parliamentary General Election or a national referendum.

You can find more information on registering to vote if you are a student on the Electoral commission: Students (opens new window) website.

If you split your time equally between two homes, you may be able to register to vote at both addresses. For example you might live and work in two different places and split your time equally. You can only register to vote at each address if you split your time equally between both locations or you are a student. An application to register at a second home is considered on a case by case basis and depends on the amount of time you spend at each address. You cannot register to vote at your second home if you are only resident occasionally and you should indicate that the property is your second home on the canvass communication before returning it. If you are registered to vote at two addresses, you are only allowed to vote once at a national election like a Parliamentary General Election.

See Electoral Commission: Voting and second homes (opens new window) for more information on registering to vote if you have a second home.

The format of a canvass communication is set by the Electoral Commission. It is addressed to The Occupier because anyone in the property can respond to the form on behalf of the household.

If you have a reason that prevents you from completing the canvass form or registering to vote please get in touch with Electoral Services in writing to County Hall, Bythesea Road, Trowbridge, Wiltshire, BA14 8JN or email electreg@wiltshire.gov.uk (opens new window) so that we can best assist you.