Electoral Registration

What is the electoral register?

  • The electoral register lists the names and addresses of everyone who is registered to vote. From July each year, households are contacted to check if their information is correct. They may also tell you to register to vote if you have not already registered. This is called the annual canvass.

You must register to vote if asked and you meet the conditions for registering. If you’re asked to register and do not, you could be fined up to £1,000. You will not be fined if you have a valid reason for not registering. An example may be that you have a severe learning difficulty.

What is the electoral register used for?

The electoral register is published once a year. It may be used by the police for law enforcement purposes. The courts use the register to summon people for jury service. We may use it to check entitlement to council tax discount or housing benefit.

It can be sold to government departments to help prevent or detect crime. They can also use it for vetting job applicants and employees if this is required. Credit reference agencies can buy the full version of the register.

This lets lenders check the names and addresses of applicants. It also helps stop money laundering by allowing identity checks. It is a crime to share the electoral register without a lawful reason.

Registering to vote

You should register to vote if:

  • You have not registered before.
  • You are a new resident of Harrow.
  • You have moved between properties.

Register to vote

Eligibility to vote

In England and Wales, you can register to vote if you are 17 years old (and in some cases if you are 16). You can only vote when you turn 18.

You can register and vote if:

  • You are a citizen of Denmark, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, or Spain. You are a resident in the UK or have permission to enter or stay in the UK.
  • You are a citizen of any other EU country. You have continuously been a legal resident of the UK since or before 31 December 2020.

Received a letter or email about your eligibility to vote?

We are contacting all EU citizens to either:

  • Inform you that you are still eligible to vote in some UK elections
  • Ask you to provide information to confirm whether you are eligible.

If you do not meet the criteria or do not provide the requested details, you will not be able to vote in:

  • Local elections
  • Mayoral elections and
  • Greater London Assembly elections.

If you respond and we deem you ineligible to vote:

  • You have 14 calendar days to request a hearing if you believe this is incorrect.
  • If you do not request a hearing within 14 calendar days, you will not be able to object to the decision.

If you do not respond:

  • We will determine that you are ineligible. You will be removed from the register and will not be able to vote in any elections.
  • You will not be prevented from re-registering to vote in future.

If you have a new citizenship or nationality, please re-register to vote. The changes may affect your eligibility to vote in some elections.

Removing a name from the electoral register

If you have moved, registering to vote at your new address will update your registration.

If someone is registered at your address and needs to be removed, please contact us. Provide their name, address, and the reason for removal. We will remove their entry from the register on the next publication date.

If you have a question, complete our Electoral Registration enquiry form.