What is the Annual Canvass ?
What is the annual canvass?
Each year the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) must conduct an annual canvass to ensure the Electoral Register is accurate and complete. The way we carry out the annual canvass was reformed in 2020.
Due to the timing of the recent General Election, the 2024 Annual Canvass starts in September 2024 and will run until late January 2025. The revised electoral register will be published on 1 February 2025.
How does the new canvass work?
Electoral Register data is sent securely to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) database to be matched. Electors’ names and address were matched against National Insurance details and the information held by the DWP.
The results of the data match will determine how we contact you, and the response required for the annual canvass.
The communication methods
The letter or e-mail you will receive will depend on whether or not records indicate that there has been a change in the registered voters living at their property – for instance, if a new person has moved into a property and registered there, that address will receive a different letter from a home whose occupants have remained the same since the last election.
Each letter explains if a response is required, and the methods detailing how to respond. It is very important that your letter is read carefully to ensure the information which we hold is accurate.