Walsall residents urged to check their voter registration details today
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Walsall Council is urging residents across the borough to check their voter registration details as part of the 2025 Annual Canvass.
The council is contacting households across the borough over the next few weeks to ensure the Electoral Register is accurate and up to date. The Annual Canvass helps identify who is eligible to vote and ensures no one misses out on having their say.
“ From Monday 28 July, we are sending out letters to Walsall residents and asking them to confirm or update the voter registration information that we hold for their address. We’re asking residents to check all the details on the Annual Canvass form are correct. It only takes a few minutes to respond, and it means you’re registered to vote. “
People who have recently moved house in particular are encouraged to double-check their details, as research by the Electoral Commission shows they are less likely to be registered than longer-term residents. In Great Britain, 92% of people who have lived in their home for 16 years are registered, compared with just 36% of those who have lived at an address for less than a year.
For more information or if you have any queries, please email: ElectionOffice@walsall.gov.uk
ENDS
Notes to editors
The Representation of the People Act 1983 places a duty on Electoral Registration Officers to maintain the Electoral Register for their area and to conduct an Annual Canvass of all residential properties.
The Electoral Register lists the names and addresses of everyone who is registered to vote. The register is used for electoral purposes, such as making sure only eligible people can vote. It is also used for other reasons as specified in law, such as detecting crime (e.g. fraud), calling people for jury service or checking credit applications.
The open register is an extract of the electoral register but is not used for elections. It can be bought by any person, company or organisation. For example, it is used by businesses and charities to confirm name and address details. Your name and address will be included in the open register unless you ask for them to be removed. Removing your details from the open register does not affect your right to vote.
To be eligible to register to vote a person must be:
- Aged 16 or over (a person may register to vote at 16, but may not vote until they are 18)
- A British or qualifying Commonwealth citizen who has leave to enter and remain in the UK or does not require such leave.
- A citizen of the Republic of Ireland or other European Union (EU) member state
British citizens, Irish citizens and qualifying Commonwealth citizens can vote in Local Elections in England and Northern Ireland, Mayor of London and London Assembly elections, Police and Crime Commissioner elections and general elections.
EU nationals legally resident in the UK may currently register to vote in local government elections, providing they meet with the age and residency requirements and that they are not legally incapable of voting. The Elections Act 2022 changed the eligibility of some EU citizens to vote.
The changes in voting rights for EU nationals will not affect voters from Cyprus, Malta and Ireland.
Full details of the Electoral Commission’s research on the electoral registers can be found on its website.
