What is the Annual Canvass/Canvass Reform?
The Annual Canvass - The Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) is required by law to conduct an annual canvass each year in order to maintain a complete and accurate electoral register. This involves making contact with households across the borough to ensure that any changes to individuals residing within a property have completed registration if they are eligible or to remove those who are no longer in residence. Previously, we would issue an A3 form called a ‘Household Enquiry Form’ (HEF) to all properties for completion to gather this information. However, due to the Canvass Reform now taking place, this will no longer be the case.
The Canvass Reform - From July 2020, Canvass Reform will be introduced. This will mean there will be a number of changes to the methods we use to ensure accurate data is generated for the Electoral Register. At the start of each canvass, properties will undergo an annual national data matching step, alongside a discretionary local data matching step. This data matching process will then determine how we communicate with you.
What is Data Matching?
National Data Matching – This will involve the borough’s Electoral Register being securely sent to the Department of Works and Pensions (DWP) database in June. Electors’ names and addresses will then be matched against information held by the DWP.
Local Data Matching – This will involve the borough’s Electoral Register being matched against locally sourced records such as Council Tax to try and match any electors who have been unable to be matched at the national data matching stage above.
How does this affect me?
The data matching stage will break your property down into one of three routes which will determine how we communicate with you to verify information on your property. The three routes are as follows:
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Route 1 – all individuals within a property have been matched with either national or local data.
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Route 2 – only some/none of all individuals within a property have been matched with either national or local data.
- Route 3 – residential/nursing homes and student accommodation
How do I know what route my property is in and what do I need to do?
I have received one of the following from you…
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An email listing those in residence at my property and asking me to confirm. This communication will be sent on or around 06 July 2020. Please respond by 12 July 2020 to avoid receiving further communications from us.
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Property Route: 1 Why have I received this: What we need you to do:
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An A4 form with the letters 'CCA-E' in the bottom corner. This communication will be sent on or around 27 July 2020. Please respond ASAP to ensure we hold the correct information for your property. New applications for the electoral register will need to be received by 20 November 2020.
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Property Route: 1 Why have I received this: What we need you to do: If your details are incorrect or additional people need adding:
Once you have responded: If you are adding an additional person to the property, we will send a new A3 form (called an Invitation to Register/Register to Vote form) or an invitation email (if an email address has been provided) to the newly added individual requesting further details to get them registered. If you would like to sidestep receiving this by post, once you have responded to the form following the instructions above, any newly added people can completed registration by visiting www.gov.uk/register-to-vote. |
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An A4 form with the letters ‘CCB-E’ or ‘CCB-B-E’ in the bottom corner. This communication will be sent on or around 14 August 2020. You need to respond by 11 September 2020 to avoid receiving further communication from us.
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Property Route: 2 Why have I received this: What we need you to do: If your form is blank, we will need you to inform us of any individual/s permanently residing at the property of the age 16 years or above only. If the property is a second home or empty, the relevent person can inform us of this using the online method below. You can inform us of any changes via the following methods:
Alternatively, if there are no changes to your property:
Once you have responded: If you are adding an additional person to the property, we will send a new A3 form (called an Invitation to Register/Register to Vote form) or an invitation email (if an email address has been provided) to the newly added individual requesting further details to get them registered. If you would like to sidestep receiving the Invitation to Register form by post, once you have responded to the Canvass Communication Letter using the above instructions, any newly added people can complete registration by visiting www.gov.uk/register-to-vote. |
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A telephone call or email communication asking for information in relation to my property. This will begin from 14 September 2020 and will consist of a telephone call or email communication to a property. Please respond by 11 October 2020 to avoid receiving further communication from us. |
Property Route: 2. Why have I received this: We will have previously sent out a ‘CCB-E’ or ‘CCB-B-E’ form to your property for completion but either have not received a response or have not received a response by the required deadline. What we need you to do: |
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An A3 form with the letters ‘CF-E’ or ‘CF-B-E’ in the bottom corner. This communication will be sent on or around 23 October 2020. Please respond ASAP to ensure we hold the correct information for your property. New applications for the electoral register will need to be received by 20 November 2020.
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Property Route: 2. Why have I received this: We will have previously sent out a ‘CCB-E’ or ‘CCB-BE’ form to your property for completion but either have not received a response or have not received a response by the required deadline. A canvasser may have also attempted to telephone you to confirm information. What we need you to do: If the property is a second home or empty, the landlord or relevent person will need to return this to us by ticking the appropriate boxes and signing the declaration on the form. Alternatively, this can be done via the online method below. If you have changes to make, these can be done:
Alternatively, if there are no changes to your property:
Once you have responded: If you are adding an additional person to the property, we will send a new A3 form (called an Invitation to Register/Register to Vote form) or an invitation email (if an email address has been provided) to the newly added individual requesting further details to get them registered. If you would like to sidestep receiving the Invitation to Register form by post, once you have responded to the Canvass Communication Letter following the instructions above, any newly added people can complete registration by visiting www.gov.uk/register-to-vote. |
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A letter/email requesting information on those residing in a residential/nursing home or student accommodation and I work within a residential home or student accommodation.
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Property Route: 3 Why have I received this: What we need you to do: |
If, at any point, you are unsure whether the communication you have received from us is genuine, please contact us at electreg@newcastle-staffs.gov.uk or telephone 01782 717717 where we will be able to verify this for you.
Last updated 24 September 2020