15 September 2006
Don’t lose your right to vote
You should have now received your Electoral Registration form. But have you told us if the information is up to date?
It is vital that you get in touch to ensure that your name is on the register if you want to vote in the District and Parish Council elections being held on May 3 2007.
More than 63,000 Electoral Registration forms have been sent to households in Wealden. And for the first time, Wealden’s Electoral Service Department is offering internet registration as one of ways residents can complete the registration process.
If there have not been any changes to the names or details given on the form, and will not be by 15 October, then instead of signing it, folding it and taking it to a post box, there are a number of other options:
● Telephone (using a touchtone phone) the FREEPHONE number given on the form. This number is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for the duration of the canvass.
● Visit and follow the simple instructions. This web site is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for the duration of the canvass.
Both options require the keying-in of the special two-part security code printed on the form; the user is then prompted to confirm the household details and the call is complete.
The FREEPHONE and internet registration systems both accommodate the ‘opt-out’ rules allowing users to add or remove their names from the edited version of the register used by mailing companies.
The electoral register lists all voters who live in the Wealden district. Those eligible to register are now asked for their details for the 2007 Register of Electors.
Your name will need to be on the register if you want to vote. The register is also used by credit reference agencies to confirm name and address details. So unless householders appear on an electoral register, credit companies may refuse credit for anything from a mobile phone to a mortgage.
Even if an elector decides not to vote, the information must still be supplied by law. If they refuse to give the information, they can be taken to Court – the maximum fine is £1,000.
Further information can be obtained by contacting Electoral Services at Wealden District Council, Pine Grove, Crowborough; tel 01892 602417.
