Registering to Vote

Electoral Registration Audit 2010/11 (Takes place from August to November 2010)

Now is the time for all households in the UK to register

Over the weekend of 21 August – 22 August 2010, an Electoral Registration form will be sent to every household in the Borough asking for information on who lives there.

By law, you have to register every year.

During most of the year the Electoral Register is updated once a month, but between August and November each year all local authorities undertake the annual electoral registration audit. This is done to make certain that the Electoral Register is up to date. There are two stages to the annual audit:

Stage 1 – Registration Form

Registration forms will be delivered in August, and residents must complete and return the form, listing all eligible electors living there. It is actually a legal requirement to complete the registration form that is delivered – even if there is no change to the information currently on the Electoral Register. Failure to register to vote or deliberately giving false information means a fine of up to £1,000.

If there are no changes to the information on the register, residents can use the telephone/internet/SMS (text message) confirmation services - this is only appropriate if there are NO changes.

You can renew your existing registration by phone between 18 August and 19 November, Monday to Friday 9 -5 (you will need your registration form to hand), SMS text, online or by completing the 'Electoral Audit Form (A Form)', available to download at the bottom of this page. Please note that if you wish to complete the online A Form, you will need to print this form off, complete and sign it and return it to:

    Electoral Services 
    Lower Ground Floor 
    Civic Offices 
    Reading RG1 7AE

If you wish to apply before the 21 August, please complete the Elector Registration Application Form (ER3) on the right hand side of this page under 'Related Information'.

Stage 2 - Personal Visits

If there is still no response by 7 September 2010,  personal visits will be made to non-responding households in order to obtain the information required. This means that teams of door-to-door canvassers will be visiting non-responding households and asking face-to-face for the details of people residing in that property. 

Please help your Council to save your money by registering by internet, freephone or text if you have NO changes. If you have changes, you can still help your Council to save your money by completing and returning the registration form at the first stage of the annual audit.

If you do not register: 

• You will not appear on the voters list 
• You will find it difficult to obtain credit, open a bank account, and prove your identity 
• You may be fined up to £1,000

Downloads

PDF

Some of the following documents are in pdf format. You can download and install a free PDF reader to enable you to read and print them. Click here to download Adobe Acrobat (PDF) Reader from the Adobe website.

File	Type	Size	Download Time
Electoral Audit Form (A Form)	PDF	142 KB	56Kbps Modem: 36 Seconds Broadband : 2 Seconds
Nationality Checklist	PDF	41 KB	56Kbps Modem: 10 Seconds Broadband : 1 Second