Make sure you’re registered to vote in the up-coming election

To be eligible to vote in UK elections and referendums you need to be on the electoral register and you have to renew your details every year. The electoral register lists the names and addresses of all those who are registered to vote. It also helps to tackle fraud as it’s used by credit reference agencies who can verify your details. 

You can register to vote if you are 16 or over (but cannot vote until you’re 18) and a British, Irish, Commonwealth or European Union citizen. 

There are two versions of the electoral register: the full register (used for elections preventing and detecting crime and checking applications for loans or credit) and the edited register (available for general sale, commercial activities, etc). You can choose whether you want to be on the edited register of not, but your name and address will be on the full register. 

Most people register or re-register between August and November every year (when the council delivers a registration form) but you can register to vote at any time by filling out a form and sending it to your local electoral registration office. Alternatively you can download the form from the About My Vote website or your council website. 

For more information visit the DirectGov website.