Registering to vote

Registering to vote

Registering to vote

To be included on the Register of Electors you need to fill in a voter registration form (pdf, 200KB - one person per form) - paying your Council Tax, or being signed up for other council services, doesn’t automatically mean that your name is included.

Make sure you are always registered
If you are entitled to vote, you must ensure that your name appears on the Register of Electors.  You should also let us know if you move house or leave the borough.  Being registered ensures that your right to vote is protected if an election is called at short notice.  What’s more, your ability to obtain credit could be restricted if you are not on the register. 
Find out if you are registered to vote in Hammersmith and Fulham (opens new window)

Who has to register to vote?
You must register to vote if you are a UK resident, aged 18 years or over and either a British, Irish, Commonwealth or European Union citizen.
You can register only for the address where you are living. 16 or 17 year olds should also be registered to ensure that they can vote as soon as they reach 18.  Qualifying commonwealth citizens are those who have leave to enter or remain in the UK.
If you are unsure as to whether you, or anyone in your household, qualify to be included on the register please refer to the more detailed information included on the voter registration form or visit www.aboutmyvote.co.uk (opens in new window).

Adding your name to the Register of Electors
You can add your name to the register by filling in a voter registration form (pdf, 200KB - one person per form).
Once you have completed your form, please return it to us at:
Electoral Services, Room 28, Hammersmith Town Hall, King Street, Hammersmith, W6 9JU
Alternatively, you can fax your form to us on either 020 8753 2007 or 020 8753 2229.
If you have access to email you can also send a scanned image of your completed form to us at electoral.servicesadmin@lbhf.gov.uk.
Please make sure that you sign your form before returning it.
When we receive your form we will add you to our list of new applications.  Any elector can then object to your name being added to the register.  If this happens we will write to you and let you know.  If your application is not objected to, we will change your details within three to seven weeks of receipt of your form (see table below). We will also send a confirmation letter by post to your address.

*6 May 2010 election register

Updates to the register are published each month from January to September (this is also known as “rolling registration”), there is no monthly update during October and November when the annual voter registration canvass of all households takes place.

The two versions of the Register and your right to opt out
The electoral registration officer makes and keeps two versions of the Register of Electors - a full version and an edited version.  You can choose not be on the edited voters list.

The full register
The full version lists everyone who is entitled to vote. The law says who can have a copy of it and what it can be used for.  This includes electoral purposes, the prevention and detection of crime, and checking your identity when you apply for credit. It is a criminal offence to pass it on to anyone else or to use it for any other purpose. Members of the public are entitled to inspect the full register of electors (pdf, 110KB) under supervision at Hammersmith town hall.  

The edited register
The edited version is kept separate from the full register and leaves out the names and addresses of people who have asked to be excluded from it.  It is available for general sale and can be used for any purpose.  For example, direct mailing companies may use it to send you information about goods and services. This version is available for inspection at local libraries.
If you do not want your details sold from the edited register you must tell us.  You can do this by ticking the "opt-out" box on the voter registration form.
The regulations about the two versions of the voters list are given in the Representation (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2002 (SI2002 No 1871), and are available online at www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk/stat.htm (opens new window).
For more information about the organisations and individuals who purchase both versions of the register please visit the Who has my details? page.

The Annual Voter Registration Canvass
As part of  our statutory requirement to maintain an accurate register, electoral services conduct  a canvass every year. Between September and November we write to you at your home address asking you to confirm the details of every person in your household who should be included on the register. 
By law you are required to respond, even if you have only recently been added to the register or have nobody at the address who qualifies to vote.  If your details are pre-printed correctly on the form and no amendments to the register are required, during the canvass you can confirm your details to us online, by text or freephone, as well as by post and fax.  To avoid a reminder, or a canvasser calling on you at home, we always advise an early response.  In extreme cases failure to respond could result in a fine or even losing your right to vote.

Further information
If you need more comprehensive guidance about registering to vote you can visit The Electoral Commission’s website, About My Vote (opens in new window), where further information is available.