Annual canvass

Every year, we are required by law to conduct a canvass of all households in the Charnwood borough area.

We have to contact all households to check that voter details in each household are correct on the electoral register. It ensures that all residents who are eligible to vote are on the electoral register and those who are no longer entitled are removed.

It is also an opportunity for voters to update their preferences on the open register and inform us the method in which they would like to vote (e.g. at the polling station, by post or by proxy).

Our annual canvass usually starts in June or July.

The way we conduct the annual canvass changed in 2020, following new legislation. Although we still contact every property, we now use national data-matching to help us focus on households where there is most likely to have been an unreported change in residency in the last 12 months.

We may contact you in a variety of ways including by email, post, telephone and visiting your property.

Frequently asked questions

I’ve received an email, but it looks like a scam – is it genuine?

The email was sent on Wednesday July 31, 2024 from the following email address: elections@charnwood.gov.uk. The email contains a link to www.householdresponse.com/charnwood and provides two parts of a security code.

Residents are asked to respond to the email by Tuesday August 6, 2024 to confirm the information was correct or to advise the Council of any changes.

More than one person in the household may have received the email however only one person needed to respond.

If a response to the email was not received by midnight or the Council does not hold an email address for anyone in the property, a paper enquiry form will be delivered to the household by Friday September 6, 2024.

Residents are reminded to stay alert to email scams. We will never ask for your bank details in an email. If you have any doubts or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the Electoral Services team.

I’ve missed the deadline to respond to the email. What do I need to do?

Those who have not responded to the email will receive a canvass form through their door by Friday September 6, 2024.

Full details of how to complete the form online, by phone, via text or by post are all contained in the form.

Why have I received a paper form when I responded to the email?

A small number of households may still receive a paper form after responding to the email. This is because email responses were processed up until midnight on Tuesday August 6, 2024. 

If your email response was received after midnight on Tuesday August 6, 2024 you are likely to receive a paper form.

If you receive a paper form, please follow the instructions on the form and respond by Monday September 9, 2024.

Why did I receive an email, but my neighbour hasn’t?

There could be a number of reasons.

Your neighbours’ may have recently changed their address and therefore will receive an enquiry form in the post.

It may also be because they have not given us permission to contact them via email.

How does the Council know there is unlikely to be any changes to the voter’s details in my household?

Before contacting households in the borough, the information currently held on the electoral register is matched against data held by the Department of Work and Pensions.

How well the data matches will determine how we contact each property in the borough.

If all of the data matches for a property, then we will email (if an email address has been provided) people in the household asking them to check the data and confirm it is correct. Only one person in the household needs to respond.

Where we do not hold an email address for someone in the property or we do not receive a response to the email, we are required to issue a paper form to the address.

If for any reason there is not a complete data match, we will send a paper form to your address which will need completing by law.

Why haven’t I received a pre-paid envelope to return the letter?

Changes can be made by responding online, or by phone. These are more cost and time efficient. If you respond using one of these methods, you do not need to send the paper letter back. If you are required to respond and you are not able to respond by any of these methods, we will send out a full canvass form with a pre-paid envelope in a few weeks. 

If you still need assistance, you can contact the Electoral Services team. 

I’ve responded to the letter am I registered now?

That depends.

If your name was pre-printed on the letter then you are already registered to vote. If you had to add your name to the property online or had to write your name on the form then you are not registered to vote yet. We will need more information in order to verify your identity and add you to the electoral register. 

After your response to the annual canvass has been processed, any new residents will be sent an invitation to register form to complete. This form will be sent to you by email or post. To complete this form you will need to provide your National Insurance number and date of birth. Alternatively, you can complete this online at any time, visit register to vote.

You have already sent us a letter, but I have received a further reminder?

We have sent you a reminder because we did not receive a canvass response by Monday September 9, 2024. We must legally send a reminder form as part of our duty to maintain the electoral register.

If you have received a reminder, please follow the instructions on the form and respond by midnight on Tuesday October 8, 2024. It is important that you respond to the form, even if there have been no changes to your household.

If you do not respond by the deadline, you may receive a personal visit from one of our canvassers who will assist in collecting a response at the doorstep.

If you have any other queries about our annual canvass then please contact the Electoral Services team.