Thousands of people in England who have recently moved house could miss their chance to vote in the local government elections this May, says the Electoral Commission, the independent elections watchdog.
“One of the most common reasons for people not being able to vote is because they forget to update the electoral register with a change of address,” says Samantha Mills, the commission’s head of campaigns.
“We’ve found that many people assume the electoral register is updated automatically – especially if they’ve told the council they’ve moved for council tax purposes.
“The deadline to register is coming up in April. We’re asking everyone who’s moved house in the past six months to take a couple of minutes to make sure they can vote. Registering is quick and easy: simply print off a registration form from www.aboutmyvote.co.uk, fill it in, and send it to your local authority”.
Local elections are taking place across many parts of England on Thursday, May 2. The deadline to register – and to apply for a postal vote – is Wednesday, April 17. Anyone not registered by that date will not be able to vote.
“It’s your vote, so don’t lose it”, urges Mills.