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Voting and Elections

The Electoral Register

The Electoral Register is a list of everyone entitled to vote.
You cannot vote if you are not registered and you are not automatically registered, even if you pay Council Tax.

The full register is available for the public to view. An edited version is available for sale. You have the option to remove your name and address from this edited version if you do not want them to be available.

You can register to vote in a parliamentary election if:

  • You are a British citizen
  • Or a citizen of another Commonwealth country or of the Irish Republic, as well as being resident in the UK
  • You are aged 18 or over
  • You are included in the register of electors for the constituency and not subject to any legal incapacity to vote
  • You are an expatriate of not more than 15 years

You can register to vote in European Parliamentary and local government elections if:

  • You qualify to the above, and you are a citizen of any country in the European Union.

When to register

Forms are sent out to every household in the borough once a year between August and November. The law says you must return these forms and confirm the list of all the people in your household eligible to vote so that the new register can be updated and published on December 1.

Between January and August, names can be added or amended but this must be followed by completion of the annual form, which is sent out to every household in the borough.

See the advice on the About My Vote website for further information on voting.

Other benefits

The Electoral Register is also used by credit reference agencies to check your name and address if you are applying for credit. It is a criminal offence to give false information or to refuse to complete the registration form, carrying a fine of up to £1,000.

For more information contact:

Electoral Services
2-4 Nelson Street
East Ham
London E6 6EQ


Tel: 020 8430 3082
Fax: 020 8430 3508
Email: elections@newham.gov.uk

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