Registering to vote is changing. A new system called Individual Electoral Registration or IER is now in place across England and Wales.

The new system means:

You can now register online.

Individuals are now responsible for registering themselves. Under the old system the “head of every household” could register everyone who lived at their address.

You need to provide a few more details to register – including your national insurance number and date of birth. This is to make the electoral register more secure.

Why should I register?

You need to register in order to vote, if you aren’t registered you won’t have the chance to have a say on who represents you.

Some people also register to vote because they want to apply for credit.

This is because credit reference agencies use the register to confirm where someone lives when they apply for credit in order to counteract fraud.

Do I need to do anything?

Most people who were registered to vote in June 2014 will be registered automatically under the new system and will not need to do anything.

The Council is sending letters out from Monday 18 August to let these people know they are registered under the new system.

Letters will also go to those who are not automatically registered to let them know they need to re-register and how to do it.

How do I register?

Registering to vote is straightforward, simply go to this government webpage (register-to-vote)

For more information visit the register to vote page on the District Council website.