Release Date: 18/08/2008
It is the annual time for all Richmond upon Thames residents to confirm their voting rights by filling in their compulsory household registration forms.
Forms will drop through the letterboxes of over 81,000 houses, flats, bedsits, houseboats and caravans this week.
All households are required to return their forms or, if their details have not changed, take advantage of the new Telephone or Online registration facility, which has made re-registering as quick and easy as possible.
This new facility simply involves calling a free phone number or logging onto the council website and using the unique security code provided on each form.
Households with changes to their details must complete, amend and return their forms by free post to the Electoral Services Office.
This information is used to publish an accurate and up to date Electoral Roll. It is essential that residents register to protect their right to vote. The Council is obliged by law to allow credit reference firms to use this data, so this does mean not registering can affect personal credit ratings. Residents can tick a box to opt out of the Edited Electoral Roll, the only register that other organisations can buy.
Failure to return a completed form or renew registration over the phone or online will result in a visit from Council officers who would be required to collect the information in person. Refusing to register or deliberately giving false information can result in a fine of up to £1,000.
Ms Gillian Norton, Electoral Registration Officer for Richmond Council, said:
“We ask residents to amend or confirm their details as soon as possible, to maintain their right to vote and protect their credit rating.
“If a household’s details have not changed, confirming them has never been as easy, so I encourage residents to make use of the new telephone and online facility.
“The Register of Electors is a different record than Council Tax so it is wrong to think that residents can vote just because their household pays Council Tax.”
Residents who do not receive a form by September, need help filling it out or would like to receive information in Braille, large print, audio tape or in a community language should contact the Electoral Helpline on 020 8891 7775 or electoral.services@richmond.gov.uk