Annual Canvass 2023 FAQs

Yes, you will be contacted every year to find out if there have been any changes to who is living at your address. Some forms do not require a response. Please check your form carefully to see if you need to respond.

If there are changes, you must provide the information requested. The purpose of the canvass communication is to confirm who lives at your address. This means we can invite other residents, including any 16 and 17 year-olds, to register to vote if we need to. 

The canvass communication is not a registration form, but instead provides us with information on who lives in your household. This means we can invite other residents, including any 16 or 17 year-olds, to register to vote if we need to. 

You need to complete and return the registration form or register to vote on GOV.UK

If you receive a canvass communication, but your property is empty, a second home or a business premises, we still need you to respond.

• If responding online, follow the instructions to confirm the property falls into one of the above categories.
• If responding via the paper form, either tick the appropriate box or write on the form that the property is empty, a second home or a business premises, sign and return the form.

You still need to respond even if you think no one living in your property is eligible to register to vote because of their nationality. 

• If responding online, follow the instructions to confirm that no one is eligible to register to vote.
• If responding via the paper form, either tick the appropriate box or write on the form that no one is eligible to register to vote due to nationality, confirm the nationality, sign and return the form.

You must be aged 16 or over to register to vote. 

You can vote when you’re 18 or over.

You must also be one of the following:

• a British citizen living in Waverley
• an Irish or EU citizen living in Waverley
• a Commonwealth citizen who has permission to enter or stay in the UK, or who does not need permission, living in Waverley.

You are invited to include your email address and phone number on the canvass form, but you do not have to. We will use this information only in connection with your registration, and it helps us to contact you quickly if there is a problem.

The online registration service and the data you provide is secure. It has been independently accredited, tested for security and developed to meet best practice guidelines for data security.