This year, following changes to the law, local councils up and down the country have moved to a new system of individual electoral registration. This means that instead of the old system or the ‘head of household’ (cue debate about who that is!) filling in one form for everyone living at that address, each person now has to register to vote individually.  For most people, their data has been matched with national databases and their voting rights have just transferred across to the new register.  But for many people, this national matching has not been possible and they need to apply for their vote.

2,500 people in East Cambs have not registered

Across East Cambridgeshire, about 2,500 people who were on the electoral register last year have not had their data matched, and have not yet registered to vote. They will still be able to vote in this May’s election, though after that they may be removed from the register.  If you haven’t yet registered to vote, you can do so online here, or by post. You will need your National Insurance number.  Remember: not only can you be liable for a fine for not responding to a request to register, it can also play havoc with your credit rating!

If you had a permanent postal or proxy vote, however, and haven’t yet registered to vote individually, you will lose it – and though you will still be on the register until May, you will not get a postal or proxy vote and will have to vote at a polling station.  You will need to complete your individual electoral registration and a fresh postal or proxy vote application to get your postal or proxy vote back.

900 people in East Cambs have been removed from the register altogether

Meanwhile, around 900 people in East Cambridgeshire have already been removed from the electoral register.  These are people who have not responded to each autumn’s electoral canvass for three years in a row.  Again, they will need to complete the individual electoral registration process to get their vote back.

Don’t forget 16 and 17 year olds need to register!

Over 18’s who are already on the register will have their registration carried across until May, as stated above. But if you’re 16 or 17, and haven’t registered individually under the new system, you’ll lose your right to vote when you reach your 18th birthday. So if you are 16 or 17 years old, or know someone who is, make sure you – or they – are registered.