Annual electoral canvass begins in Enfield

This week is the start of the annual canvass to create a

new electoral register for the borough of Enfield. Each year Enfield

Council gathers information about who is eligible to vote and

registration forms will be going to all households in the borough within the next few weeks.

Electoral Services Manager, Peter Stanyon

explains: "By law we have to check the details of every household in the

borough each year to update the Electoral Register and reflect the

changes in our borough. Some people will have moved away and we expect to add many who have turned 18 or moved into

the borough.

"We also ask for the details of young people aged 16 and upwards on

the canvass forms but hold their names with the date of birth so that

they only become eligible to vote when they reach their 18th birthday. 

"We try to make every effort to gather the names of all people who

are eligible to vote and ask everyone to look out for the voter

registration form arriving through doors this week."

Registering to vote is a simple matter. The forms list information

currently held on the register and it is for households to confirm that

this is correct or to alter as applicable - and then return the

information to the council. It is a free post service so there is not

even any postage to pay and if you have no changes to make, your information can also be confirmed by

telephone, online or by text.

 

Deputy

council leader, Achilleas Georgiou, says: "I cannot stress enough how

important it is for people who are eligible to vote to make sure that

they are on the register. If you are a British, Commonwealth or European

citizen, 18 or over and live in the borough, you are eligible to vote –

but your name must be on the register."

"This year we are making a huge effort to get people

to register to vote. The quicker they respond the better - it saves the

council money by not having to make follow up visits. It also means that we can demonstrate that our population is

growing and that as a borough we need more financial government support

to keep council tax down. But most important is the chance to influence how we are governed -

so I am appealing to everyone not to throw away the chance to vote when

elections come round – do it now and get on the register."

Registration rates this year are particularly important because the

figures will be used by the Boundary Commission when reviewing the

parliamentary constituency boundaries before the next general

election. The canvass goes on until the end of November and the register will

be published on December 1. Look out for your letter in the post soon.