Do you need to re-register for voting?

Individual Electoral Registration (IER) is the new method of registering to vote.

It was introduced across the country earlier this year in a bid to tackle electoral fraud and improve the accuracy of the electoral register.

However, if you have not responded to a form that you may have received about the new voting register system, please respond quickly so that Sedgemoor do not have to incur the costs of sending a reminder letter which the authority is legally obliged to do.

From early August letters explaining the new system were sent to the 89,000 people already registered to vote in the district.

In Sedgemoor, around 12,000 residents may need to take action to join the new register, even if they were registered in the past.

Before IER was introduced, the ‘head of household’ was responsible for registering everyone who lived at an address.

Under the new system, each individual is responsible for their own voter registration.

Most people who are already registered to vote have been transferred automatically to the new register.

However, around 12,000 people within Sedgemoor may need to reregister to ensure the details held are accurate.

There are also people in the district who are not registered to vote at all and so need to register to have their say in elections.

The letters clearly state whether or not you are on the new register or whether you have to take action.

If you need to register on the new list, the easiest way is online at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote but you can also return the form.

Kerry Rickards, Chief Executive of Sedgemoor District Council, said: “This is the biggest change to the voter registration system in 100 years, so it is essential that people check their letter carefully to see whether they need to reregister.

With a General Election plus District and Town/Parish elections on Thursday, May 7, 2015 it’s really important that people in Sedgemoor are registered to vote.”