Electoral Services Annual Canvass 2025

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About the annual canvass

Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) are required to keep the register of eligible voters up to date. This is called the annual canvass and it takes place each year between July and November. The EROs contact every household to find out if the details on the electoral register are correct. The revised Register of Electors is then published on 1 December.

The annual canvass allows us to check:

  • electors who are no longer living in the property
  • new residents at the address
  • people who will become 18 the following year
  • any corrections or changes needed to resident’s details

Look out for your form via email or in the post

During the annual canvass, we will contact all properties in the Reading borough by email or post. It is particularly important that anyone who has moved address recently looks out for the form and checks whether they are registered.

Who can be included on the register

You need to be included on the register if you are:

  • aged 16 and over
  • a British, Irish, European or qualifying Commonwealth citizen
  • living in Reading borough

How it works

Stage 1 – Data Matching

  • The Electoral Register is sent securely to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) database to be matched in June.  Electors names and address will be matched against National Insurance details and the information held by the DWP.  In addition to this an Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) has the discretion to use local data (e.g. Council Tax records) to perform a matching exercise as well.
  • If all the registered people at a property can be matched with either of these databases the property will be sent down Route 1 canvass.  Emails will be sent in the first instance to everyone in your property and the first person to respond replies on behalf of the household.  Electors will need to note the change this year and must respond to this email to confirm the electoral register information is correct or advise of any changes.  Previously when the communication was sent via post there was only a need to respond if the information was incorrect.  It is important to respond as soon as you can to avoid reminders and reduce expenditure and carbon footprint.  The quickest and easiest way to reply is online by following the details given in the email.
  • For those households where we do not hold an email address, a letter will be sent at the beginning of August along with reminders to those households who have not responded to the initial email.  If your household has received a letter then you only need to respond if there are any changes.  To help reduce costs, please let the Electoral Services team have an email address for all those in the household so that email correspondence can be sent in the future.
  • If there are any people at a property that cannot be matched the property will be sent down Route 2 canvass.  This will require a response to the Canvass Communication B form even if your details have not changed.  Again, it is important to respond as soon as you can to avoid reminders and reduce expenditure and carbon footprint.  The quickest and easiest way to reply is online by following the details given in the letter.
  • Student Halls of Residence, Care homes, Nursing Homes and all other properties that have a responsible person i.e. a duty manager will be sent down Route 3 canvass.

Stage 2 – Routes of communication

Your household will be contacted in different ways:

  • Firstly, Canvass Communications A letters/forms by email will commence on 8 July via email and initial letters (to those households where we do not hold an email address) and reminders from 5 August 2025.  Please read the form carefully for instructions of how to proceed.
  • Canvass Communications B by post from 29 July
  • Canvass Communications by telephone from 26 September
  • (NB: If we do not receive a required response from the forms we send we will make every attempt to get a response from you, this may be via reminder forms, the telephone or a visit to your property.)

Please help us to save time and money by responding to this form as quickly as possible.  Do this online or by phone, if possible.   Please only respond by post if you are unable to go online or telephone us.  Please note even if you do not want to register to vote, you still need to respond to your canvass communication giving the details of everyone at your property that is eligible to register.

Communication methods

Canvass communications by email/post

We will write to you with a form and please read it carefully.  In all cases you must respond.  if any details have changed on your household form you will be required to respond by the deadline set out in your letter.  It is important to respond as soon as you can to avoid reminders and reduce expenditure and carbon footprint.  The quickest and easiest way to reply is online by following the details given in the email.

If you need to respond the easiest way is to online, by visiting: www.householdresponse.com/reading and entering the security code printed on your letter.  You can also respond to us by phone on 0800 884 0701.

  • record a “no change” response using the automated phone line (0800 884 0701), or
  • you can use our text service (send text to 80212). Text ‘NOCHANGE’ followed by your two-part security code.
  • Only return your canvass communication form by post if you are required to respond and are unable to use any of the online services, or phone services, phone or text options. Our address is: Reading Borough Council, Electoral Services, Civic Offices, Bridge Street, Reading RG1 2LU

Canvass communications by telephone

If you have previously given us a telephone number, we may use that to contact you to ask you to confirm the details of your household if you have not responded to our first enquiry by post.

Canvass communications by door knocking

If we haven’t heard back from you, we may send a canvasser to knock on your door.  Each canvasser will be carrying official ID.  Alternatively, one of the Electoral Services team members will carry out a telephone canvass.

If you have responded promptly to the first form you should not receive a door knock.  The canvasser will have a copy of the form that each household or individual needs to complete and the canvasser will provide all help and assistance to ensure forms are correctly completed.

If the canvasser calls at your address when you are not home they will leave a form for you to complete. Please complete it straightaway using one of the services as listed on the form. Once a response has been recorded, the canvasser will not need to call at your address again.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the benefits of registering?

There are many reasons to register including:

  • to participate in elections and referendums and therefore influence those who make the decisions that affect you on a daily basis
  • it may be harder to obtain credit, mortgages, loans and so on if you don’t register – the electoral register is one piece of evidence used by the financial services industry when authorising applications
  • a quick response from you saves you and the council money, as the council won’t have to pay canvassers to call at your property
  • please note that registering online or returning an Invitation To Register form does not guarantee that we will be able to add you to the register of electors immediately. We may contact you to request further information so we can confirm your identity.

I’ve made a mistake on the form, what should I do?

If you have responded to a canvass communication and realise that you made a mistake, please contact Electoral Services. Email: elections@reading.gov.uk or phone: 0118 937 3717 and advise which information was entered incorrectly and what the correct information should be and include your name and address.

What is an Invitation To Register (ITR)?

  • An Invitation To Register (ITR) form is sent out to anybody whose details have been added to the canvass communication but who hasn’t registered to vote online.
  • Responses to a canvass communication may notify us that a new person is living at a property and that they are eligible to register. We send them the ITR to collect information required to complete the voter registration process. People who receive an ITR can complete their voter registration online at www.gov.uk/registertovote
  • We ask for details such as the applicant’s date of birth and National Insurance number. These details are automatically checked against records held by the Department of Work and Pensions to verify their identity.
  • You will not be able to vote if we are not able to add you to the electoral register. Register online at www.gov.uk/registertovote  or complete and return an ITR that is sent to you

My property/premises is empty, do I need to respond?

Yes, you still need to respond. If no one is listed on the form, please call free on 0800 884 0701 or online at www.householdresponse.com/reading (you will need the security codes from your form) to confirm the property is still empty.

If someone’s details are on the form, but the property is now empty – you can either:

  • Visit www.householdresponse.com/reading (you will need the security code from your form) or
  • Tick the property is empty box (in the “no one at address is eligible” section), sign the form and return it in the envelope provided.

Myself and/or others are not eligible to vote, what should I do?

If nobody in your household is eligible to register to vote, you still need to notify us by responding to your canvass communication. You can do so online www.householdresponse.com/reading

If the canvass communication you have received is already blank, you can also either:

  • record a “no change” response using the automated phone line – phone: 0800 884 0701
  • use our text service – text ‘NOCHANGE’ followed by your two-part security code to 80212

If you are unable to use one of the automated services, please amend the paper form and return it.

Do students need to register more than once?

Students can register both at their home address and university address. Students are entitled to vote at local government elections at home and in Reading. However, they are only able to vote once at a national election, so they can choose where to vote, either in Reading or at their home address.

Please add the names of any students who wish to register in Reading. If all students are registered at home, and do not wish to register in Reading, tick the “Other Reason” box (in the “no one at address is eligible” section) and state “Student Accommodation, all students registered at home address”.

You can respond by going online at www.householdresponse.com/reading and following the instructions; you will need the security code from your form to do this. Otherwise, complete the form and send it back in the envelope provided (no stamp needed).

When do I need to submit my form by?

To be included on the register you must be registered and have returned your completed Invitation To Register (ITR) form by 21 November 2025. All responses to the Canvass Communication B or Canvass Form must be received by 28 November 2025 to be on the published register. All the information received during the canvass will be used to compile a revised electoral register on 1 December 2025.

Help and support

Please read all of the information sent to you. If you still need advice, please contact Electoral Services on elections@reading.gov.uk or the Electoral Services helpline on:- 0118 937 3717.

Electoral Registration: Data Privacy Notice

Last updated on 26/06/2025