Annual Canvass Frequently Asked Questions

The communication you receive will tell you if you are legally required to respond. If you are legally required to respond, the communication will also have a respond deadline.

If you do not respond by the deadline given, you will be sent a reminder, and if you continue not to respond, someone from the Council may visit your property.

We will send out Invitations to Register to Vote (ITRs) to any new residents added to the canvass form.

We will also send out application forms to those who have requested an absent vote or want to change their name on the Electoral Register.

We will remove any residents who have been crossed out on the canvass form.

Any person who has a connection to the property can provide information, i.e. a current resident, the property owner or the property manager.

The person responding to the canvass must ensure that any information they provide is correct, and they will be required to complete a declaration to this effect. Knowingly providing false information is a criminal offence.

You can indicate that a named elector is no longer resident at the property by crossing through their name on the physical canvass forms. When responding online, follow the instructions in the online portal to remove any electors no longer resident.

You can also email ElectionServices@Bury.gov.uk to report that an elector listed on the canvass form is no longer resident at the address.

You should respond to the canvass by the deadline stated on your communication and give the current situation at the time of your response.

Once you have moved, you can complete an application to register to vote at your new address and inform us of your move so that we can update the Electoral Register.

The Electoral Register and Council Tax information are separate lists and operate under different legislative rules. Whether people are eligible to register to vote is not something that Council Tax offices know.

The Electoral Registration Officer is required by law to keep a separate list of all registered electors at the property. This can include other residents in addition to the bill payer(s), e.g. family members and dependents who are eligible to vote.

If there is a residential part of the shop/ business, ensure that the form is not for this part of the property - if so, the residents or the property owner/ manager needs to respond.

If the property is solely used for business purposes and nobody lives there, let us know in your online response or by sending the form back to us with a note on it. We will remove the business address from our records.

Students living temporarily away from home are entitled to register to vote at both their term time address and their family home address. They are allowed to vote in local elections in both areas, but are not allowed to vote twice in the same election (i.e. Parliamentary elections from both addresses).

It is not mandatory for students to register at both addresses, as long as they are registered at one of their addresses.

Physical letters are all addressed to 'the occupiers' as the annual canvass concerns all eligible to vote residents at the property.

For email communications, will contact all registered electors at the property who have provided us with an email address.

You can apply for a postal or proxy vote online through the Government website:

Postal Votes: www.gov.uk/apply-postal-vote

Proxy Votes: www.gov.uk/apply-proxy-vote

Alternatively, you can request a paper application form in your canvass response or by emailing ElectionServices@Bury.gov.uk

Anyone ages 16+ who is eligible to register to vote must be included on the canvass form.

You can check who is eligible to register to vote here: www.electoralcommission/org.uk/voting-and-elections/who-can-vote-uk-elections

Each unique security code can only be used once to submit a response. Please check that no-one else in your household has already responded to the canvass using the security codes.

If no-one else in your household has already responded, and you still can't access the online system, you can complete the physical letter and return it to us, or contact u at ElectionServices@Bury.gov.uk

All emails will be sent from ElectionCanvass@Bury.gov.uk

You can find further information about e-mail communications here: www.bury.gov.uk/council-and-democracy/elections-and-voting/annual-canvass

Your nationality determines your voting franchise.

For example, British, Irish and Commonwealth citizens are eligible to vote in all elections held in the UK, while qualifying EU member-state citizens are only eligible to vote in local elections.

You cannot be added to the Electoral Register if you do not provide your nationality.