Register to vote

Contents

1. The annual canvass to update the Register of Electors
2. How to register
3. Who can register
4. Reasons to register
5. Check if you're already registered to vote
6. When your details will be included on the Register of Electors

The annual canvass to update the Register of Electors

The Elections Team is currently preparing the new Register of Electors, which will be used from 1 December 2021 to 30 November 2022.

From Friday 23 July, we will be sending letters to homes across the Borough to help us to identify all those entitled to vote. The letter lists all the people living at the property that we currently have on the register of electors.

Please check the printed details, and instructions on who needs to respond, carefully. If you are required to respond, you should do this immediately.

We encourage you to respond online, where you will be able to:

• amend a name
• add the names and nationality of any new occupants
• remove the names of those who no longer live at the address
• confirm there are no changes needed
• ask for a postal vote application form
• make changes to the open register

The form includes the web address and security codes needed to respond.  Details of any other ways to respond will be printed on the letter.

Responding to the letter does not automatically register new occupiers to vote.  

If you do not respond to the letter where required, the Electoral Registration Officer is required by law to follow it up by either:

• contacting you by telephone, if we have a home phone number
• calling at your house to collect the information needed to update the register

During this coronavirus pandemic it may be difficult to keep a safe distance from residents during face to face house calls. 

To prevent someone having to make face to face house calls, please to respond to the canvass form immediately. This will help to keep you and your family safe and reduce the possibility of catching or spreading the virus.

How to register to vote

If you do not have access to the internet, phone us on 0191 427 7000. We can complete your application over the phone.

Information about how we handle your personal data is available in the Council's Privacy Notice - Electoral Services.

Who can register to vote

You can register to vote in the UK if you are:

• a resident (usually live) in the UK, and
• aged 16 or over (but you will not be able to vote until you are 18)

You must also be either:

• a British, Irish or European Union citizen, or
• a Commonwealth citizen who has leave to remain in the UK or who does not require leave to remain in the UK

Reasons to register to vote

To be able to vote in elections, you must be registered.

If you aren't registered to vote, 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. Credit reference agencies use the Electoral Register to confirm where someone lives when they apply for credit to counteract fraud.

If you don't register to vote, you won't have a say at future elections and referendums. If you don't respond to requests for information from the Electoral Registration Office you could be at risk of getting fined £80.

Check if you're already registered to vote

To check if you are already registered, you can contact the Elections Office: 

The Elections Office
Town Hall and Civic Offices
Westoe Road
South Shields
Tyne and Wear
NE33 2RL

Phone: 0191 424 7230
Email: elections@southtyneside.gov.uk

When your details will be included on the Register of Electors

The following table gives the dates when you will be included on the register of electors depending when we receive your application.

There are no updates to the register of electors during the months of October and November as the council has to carry out an annual canvass to update the register.  The revised register of electors is published on 1 December each year.

Using information received from the public, Registration Officers keep two registers - the Electoral Register and the Open Register (also known as the Edited Register). For more information see Electoral registers.