Each year, at the end of August, Electoral Services send Voter Registration Forms to each of the 72,000 households within the Basingstoke and Deane Borough asking them to register all eligible voters and anyone who will become 18. The Electoral Register is updated each year during this annual canvass period, September to November, and a new Register is published on the 1 December.
You must, by law, return the form each year, whether you choose to use your vote or not is your choice. If you do not respond to the annual canvass request or provide false information on the form, you may be liable to a fine of £1,000.
More and more the Register of Electors is being used to confirm an individual's address, especially if they are applying for credit such as a mortgage, personal loan or even a mobile telephone. If you are not registered you will probably be refused credit as well as losing your right to have your say via the ballot box. Don't lose your Vote!
You need to be included on the registration form if you are:
- 18 and over
- British, Irish, European or qualifying Commonwealth citizen *
- 16 / 17 years old (so that you are eligible to vote as soon as you turn 18)
- living at an address within Basingstoke and Deane on 15 October
* Please see the links below which show the qualifying countries.
Don't assume that because you were registered last year that your name will be automatically included in this year's Register of Electors. There are regulations regarding the removal of names from the Register in the event of a non-response to the annual canvass from a household.
Please note that paying Council Tax does not register you to vote. These are two separate departments and you must register with both Council Tax and Electoral Services.
Telephone & Internet
As an alternative to posting the form back in the pre-paid envelope enclosed with your form, electors also have the opportunity to register during the annual canvass by telephone or internet. However, this facility is only available for households that have no changes to make to the details of the registered electors. For further information please click here
