What is this form - why do I have it?
/ The form you have received relates to the register of electors. Every year the council is required by law to ask every household: Who is eligible to register to vote at that address.
PRE-PRINTED NAMES ON THE FORM:
Please check the information pre-printed on the form. If the form isn’t correct, please make the necessary changes then sign the declaration, date the form and return it in the enclosed freepost envelope.
If all the information is correct you have 3 options on how to respond:
1.  Confirming by FREEPHONE – you can confirm that the details are correct and you do not need to make any changes apart from opting out of the Edited Register.
2.  Confirming by INTERNET - you can confirm that the details are correct and you do not need to make any changes apart from opting out of the Edited Register.
3.  Or sign the declaration, date the form and return it in the enclosed freepost envelope.
Please refer the form ‘How to respond’.
BLANK FORM:
If there are no names at all printed, please add your name and anybody else over the age of 16 who currently live at your address onto the form. Please take care to complete all the necessary information requested.
Opt-out of the Edited Register option.
The Edited Register can be bought by anybody and be used for any purpose. / The legal position regarding pre-printing the tick in the Edited Register column has been clarified and we are no longer able to carry over your selection from previous years. To opt out from the Edited Register you have 3 options:
1.  Put a tick in the column under the Edited Register and post the form back
2.  Request that your name does not appear on the Edited Register when confirming your details on-line or on the telephone.
3.  Write to the Electoral Registration Officer under Section 11 DPA 1998 to request that your name and address is not processed for marketing purposes. This request must be made in writing and you cannot do this on behalf of another person. You can find an example notice to this effect on our website under voter registration and who has my personal details.
Nothing has changed from what’s printed on the form – apart from I want to opt-out of the Edited Register. / You can either post the form back to us, indicating your selection or use the automated telephone or internet service. The automated service is the most favoured option as it is more environmentally friendly and less expensive to process.
Nothing has changed from what’s printed on the form – do I need to return it? / Even if there are no changes to the information pre-printed on the form, we still need you to respond. You can either use the Automated service, or sign and return the form in the freepost envelope provided.
The Automated service, how do I use it? / On each form there is a box with a Freephone number starting with 0800, dial this number from a touch phone (as you need a * button to use this service) and then follow the instruction and use the 10 digit unique reference number listed beneath the freephone number. Alternatively follow the instructions to use the internet and confirm your details on-line.
The people whose names are pre-printed on the form have moved out -
I need a new form / It isn’t necessary to send you another form. Please put a line through the details of the people who have moved out and then add your details onto the form in the spaces below. We will then be able to update the register and any future correspondence will contain your information.
The address of our property is not written correctly on the form / Please complete the form and amend the address box. We will look at the changes to the address when the form comes back.
A person listed on the form has died. How do I remove the name off the list? Do you need a copy of the death certificate? / We do not require a copy of the death certificate. Please note on the form that this person has passed away and we will ensure that the electoral register is updated.
I have recently got married / divorced and changed my name - what do I do? / Please cross out your previous name on the form and write in your new name. We will ensure that the register is updated. If you currently vote by post or proxy, we will also send you a new postal/proxy vote application form to enable you to update your signature.
My children are listed on the form but they are only 4 and 6 years old - should they be on there? / Your children’s names must have been added mistakenly by someone in your household in a previous year. They are not entitled to register to vote until they are 16 years old. Please remove their details by putting a line through their names and indicating that they are under 16 years old.
My son is just 16 years old - do his details need to go on this form? / Yes, please add his name and date of birth to the section labelled ‘16/17 year olds’ and complete all of the relevant columns on the form. We can then ensure that he is able to vote as soon as he turns 18 years old.
My son has gone away to university but he will be coming home at the end of each term. Where should he register to vote? / Your son can register at his home address as well as his university address, but must not vote more than once in the same election. This means that he can vote in local elections at both addresses as long as they are in different local government areas, but cannot vote at both addresses in a Parliamentary election.
Someone in our household has learning difficulties. Should they be included on the form? / Yes, please include them on the form. People with learning difficulties are eligible for registration, assuming they meet the other registration criteria (age, nationality, etc.).
I only live here during the week for work but my main residence is in another local authority area - where should I register to vote? / You can register at two addresses as long as you spend equal amount of time between the two places or regular time like at one property during the working week then every weekend is spent at a different address. Paying Council tax and /or Recreational use of a holiday/second home does not qualify as residency for registration purposes (RPA 1983 Section 5). This is judged on a case to case basis.
The person on the form has moved into a residential home. What should I do with the form that has arrived at her house? / If the residential home is the main address, the registration should be at the address of the residential home. Please indicate on the form that person is now living in residential care and return the form to us. Or if the property is going to be used by someone else please cross the name off and leave the form for the new occupiers to return to us.
I want to apply for a postal vote or proxy vote / Please refer to our website www.rother.gov.uk and the electoral services pages , or www.aboutmyvote.co.uk or contact our help line 01424 787825 to request a form.
I do not want a postal vote anymore / Cancellation of a postal vote must be made in writing to the Electoral Registration Officer at Rother District Council, Town Hall, Bexhill on Sea TN39 3JX
I am emigrating in a month’s time and I won’t be coming back to the UK / You can apply to be an overseas elector for 15 years after you were last registered in the UK. You will need to complete a registration form once you have moved away and have it attested by a British Citizen also living in the country you are moving to.
This would enable you to vote in UK Parliamentary and European Parliamentary elections.
We are moving within a few weeks / Please cross out your details on the form and leave it somewhere prominent for the new occupiers of your property to complete and return to us once they move in. If there is no form waiting for you at your new address, please call the electoral registration office at the authority you are moving to who will send you a new form. You can obtain their contact details from www.aboutmyvote.co.uk.
We are renovating this house but currently living in rented accommodation until it is finished / Please complete the forms for both properties, adding your name to the form where you are currently living. Please mark the other form ‘currently unoccupied’ and return to us. Please contact the electoral registration office once you have moved in to your new address in order to register there.
I am a foreign national and I don’t think I am allowed to vote in the UK / British, Irish, EU and qualifying Commonwealth citizens (that is those Commonwealth citizens with leave to remain in the UK or who do not require leave to remain) are entitled to register to vote in the UK.
http://www.rother.gov.uk/media/pdf/e/g/List-of-eligible-countries_1_july_2013.pdf
(See the list of eligible countries provided to you for reference. Any citizens of countries not included on this list are not entitled to register.)
How does being on the electoral register affect my credit rating? / Credit referencing agencies use the electoral register to verify where you live. They have a special licence to use the register in this way. The electoral register is used because it is the only national record of the population which is updated yearly and every month with movements.
I have been displaced because my house has been recently flooded. I am currently living in a rented house and I don’t know when I will be able to come back to this house, although my intention is to do so / As you are only temporarily absent from your property, you should continue to register at that address. Please make sure that your mail is suitably redirected so that you receive all relevant correspondence from us.
I’ve heard all about these government agencies losing personal information; I don’t think I want to give you my details / The electoral register is governed by legislation which limits access to and use of the information. There are strict penalties for anyone who uses the information outside these regulations.
You are legally obliged to provide your information for the electoral register. If you refuse to return the completed form to us you may incur a fine of up to £1,000.
I don’t like the way that my information is available for anyone to use – I’m fed up of junk mail and nuisance calls / The electoral register is governed by legislation which limits access to and use of the information. There are strict penalties for anyone who uses the information outside these regulations.
There are 2 versions of the register – the full register and the edited register.
·  The full register includes the names of all those registered to vote in a local area and is used for electoral and limited statutory purposes only. One of these purposes is credit referencing.
·  The edited register can be sold on to anyone for any purpose and includes the names of all those who have not ‘opted out’ of their details being included on it.
You can choose to remove your details from the publicly available edited register. Please indicate your desire to opt out of the edited version of the register by ticking the box on the form.
We cannot guarantee that this will stop all junk mail, as direct marketing companies build their databases from various sources and do not rely on the edited register alone.
Please note that the electoral register data DO NOT contain telephone numbers and if you are receiving nuisance calls, this information is obtained from other data sources.
I have a lot of problems with my safety and don’t want my details to appear on the electoral register, meaning I can be found and my family put in danger – what can I do? / There is a provision in law that enables people to register anonymously in certain circumstances.
Please contact the elections office on 01424 787825 for further information. We can send you further information and an application form if you have a safe correspondence address. Alternatively, you can pick up an information pack from our office.
Why do I have to give you this information again? / You are legally obliged to provide your information for the electoral register. If you refuse to return the completed form to us you may incur a fine of up to £1,000.
It is your responsibility to register to vote and you must complete the household registration form each year. You should also make sure that you register any time you move house.
Someone knocked on my door today claiming to work for Rother District Council, is this correct? / Yes it may be correct, between 29 November 2013 – 3 February 2014, we will be visiting properties who have not returned the annual voter registration form. The person should carry ID and show this to you and they should only ask about the voter registration form.
When are the next elections? / 22 May 2014, when we will hold the European Parliamentary Elections
I am going to be on holiday when the election take place in May / Depending on when you are going away you can apply for a postal vote or a proxy vote. Please contact the election office on 01424 787825