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Electoral Registration

Please use the links below to jump to the section you wish to view, or scroll down this page to read the sections in order.

Registering to Vote
Moving Home
Access to The Electoral Register
Two versions of the Register
The Choice You have to Make
Documents
Links
Contact Details

Registering to Vote

Once a year, registration forms are sent to every household for completion - usually in August or September. The Register of Electors is then published on 1st December each year, using the information submitted on these forms.

Additions and deletions can also be made to the Register every month, except during September, October and November when the new Register is being produced.  Applications have to be made at the beginning of the month in order to be included on the updated Register published the following month. 

• A separate form needs to be completed by each member of the household who is eligible to vote.
• Once you have completed the Registration Form, please complete and return to your local Electoral Registration office.
• To check that your name has been included on the Register of Electors, contact your local Council Electoral Registration Office.
• In order to register you need to be a British or Commonwealth citizen, or a citizen of the Republic of Ireland. If you are a citizen of a European Union country, other than Britain or Ireland, you can register to vote for Local Government and European Parliamentary elections only.  Citizens of any other countries are not eligible to register.
• You have to be 18 years old in order to vote. If you are 16 or 17 years old you can register, but need to include your date of birth.  This will enable you to vote in elections as soon as you turn 18.
• If you are in the Armed Forces, you can register using the standard Electoral Registration Form or you can register as a service voter, by completing a service declaration form.
• Residents of mental hospitals, homeless people and remand prisoners can register using a declaration of local connection. Please contact your local council for details.  Convicted prisoners are not eligible to vote.

Moving Home

Once a year, registration forms are sent to every household for completion - usually in August or September. The Register of Electors is then published on 1st December each year, using the information submitted on these forms.

Additions and deletions can also be made to the Register every month, except during September, October and November when the new Register is being produced.  Applications have to be made at the beginning of the month in order to be included on the updated Register published the following month.

Registration forms can be downloaded from this site. A separate form needs to be completed by each member of the household who is eligible to vote. Once you have completed the registration form, please complete and return to your local Electoral Registration Office.

Access to The Electoral Register

The Electoral Register lists the name and address of everyone who has registered to vote. By law, your local authority has to make the Electoral Register available for anyone to look at.  The Register is held at the local Electoral Registration Office (or Council Office in England and Wales) and some public buildings, such as libraries.

Until now, any company, organisation or person could buy a copy of the Register. But the Government has changed the law so that now you have some choice about who can buy details of your name and address.  Under the changes there are two versions of the Register, the Full version and the Edited version. When you fill in your Electoral Registration form, you will be able to choose whether you want your details included in the edited register.

Two versions of the Register

The Full Register has the names and addresses of everyone registered to vote and is updated every month. Anyone can look at it, but copies can only be supplied for certain purposes, such as elections and law enforcement. Credit reference agencies are also allowed to use the Full Register, but only to check your name and address if you are applying for credit, and to help stop 'money laundering'. Anyone who has a copy of the Register will be committing a criminal offence if they unlawfully pass on information from it. You do not have a choice about your name and address being on this Register.

The Edited Register will be available for general sale and can be used for any purpose. You can choose not to be on it. It will be kept separate from the Full Register and updated every month. The Edited Register can be bought by any person, company or organisation and could be used for different purposes such as checking your identity and commercial activities such as marketing.

The Choice You have to Make

If you do tick the box on the voter registration form, your name and address will only appear on the Full Register, which will only be used for certain lawful purposes, such as elections, law enforcement and checking applications for credit.

If you do not tick the box on the voter registration form, your name will also appear on the edited version of the Register, which anyone can buy. This means anyone can use your details for any purpose. The person who fills in and signs the registration form must ask each person named on the form if they want their details to be included on the Edited Register and so available for anyone to buy. So, you must tick the box if you do not want your details to appear on the Edited Register which anyone can buy. Do not tick the box if you want your name and address to be included on the Edited Register and available to anyone who wants a copy of it. 

Contact Details

Oswestry Borough Council
Electoral Registration Officer
Castle View
Oswestry
Shropshire
SY11 1JR

Contact: Veronica Catling
Tel: 01691 677208
Email: electoralservices@oswestry-bc.gov.uk