Residents asked to check voter details as annual canvass begins

Reading’s annual canvass is under way, and the council is asking residents to check and confirm their voter details.

The canvass makes sure the electoral register is up to date and helps identify anyone who is not registered to vote. It also ensures residents won’t miss out when it comes to voting in future elections.

This year, for the first time, the council is emailing residents whose details it has matched with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Residents who receive an email must respond, even if all the information is correct. This confirms the council has reached the right person.

Please reply quickly if you get an email. It helps to avoid sending paper reminders.

If the council doesn’t have your email address, it will send a letter instead.

Some households will receive a different type of letter – known as a ‘Canvass Communication B letter’. This means the council could not match the details with the DWP. If you get this type of letter, you must respond.

What you need to do

• If you get an email, follow the link provided and confirm your voter details online – even if nothing has changed
• If you get a letter and everything is correct, you don’t need to do anything
• If any details are wrong, or you've recently moved, follow the steps in the letter or visit the register to vote GOV.UK website page to check your details

Reminder of postal vote changes

18,000 electors in Reading will also need to reapply for their postal vote.

Following national changes, all postal voters must now reapply every three years. Anyone who applied before 31 October 2023 must submit a new application by 31 January 2026.

If you don’t reapply in time, your postal vote will be cancelled and you’ll need to vote at a polling station instead.

The council is contacting all affected voters by email or post. The easiest way is apply for a postal vote online.

Michael Graham, Electoral Registration Officer at Reading Borough Council

"It’s really important that residents keep an eye out for either emails or letters from the Council over the coming days and weeks and respond to them as swiftly as possible.

This is the first year the Council is using emails to contact electors as part of the annual canvass and it is important to emphasise that where residents receive an email from us, they need to respond to the Council even where all the details are correct. This is so that we know that the email has been received by the resident.

Responses from residents allow us to keep the electoral register up to date, identify residents who are not registered and encourage them to do so.

If you’re not currently registered, your name will not appear in the communications we send. If you are entitled to register, the easiest way is to register online, or we’ll send you information explaining how to do this in the post."

Support

If you have questions about your registration, contact the council’s electoral services team:

• elections@reading.gov.uk
• 0118 937 3717