As part of the annual canvass, more than 28,000 of people across Stafford Borough will be receiving an email or text from the council.
By not posting paper forms to residents it will save local taxpayers thousands of pounds, and the local authority is hoping many residents will respond via electronic means.
People are required by law to register and make sure their details are correct on the electoral roll and each year the council carries out the canvass to ensure the data is up to date. Email and text messages will be sent out from Monday 5 July.
You must be on the register to vote in local and national polls – but not being registered also affects a person’s credit rating which can lead to issues when buying a house or taking out a phone contract, for example.
The council will be using the email and text information from around 28,000 local people to collect responses to the annual canvass. The message will contain a link which will take them to a registration page where, if the information is correct, they will only need to reply to confirm.
The new electronic canvassing system was introduced for the first time last year after a change in national legislation and will help reduce the amount of paper used as well as save money. If people do not respond to the e-communications they will be sent a reminder letter towards the end of July. Remaining residents will be sent the annual canvass forms in August.
Electoral Registration Officer, Tim Clegg, who is Chief Executive of Stafford Borough Council, encouraged people to respond as soon as possible to the canvass to save the cost of reminders having to be sent out.
He said: “Your right to vote on who runs the government or local authorities, who make decisions affecting all our lives, is the cornerstone of a healthy democracy.
“It is very easy to make sure you are able to have your say at future elections, simply check the information from the link in the email when it arrives and reply as promptly as possible.”
The canvass will also help identify any residents who are not registered so that they can be encouraged to do so. Anyone needing to change details can do it online or contact Stafford Borough Council.
You can contact the election’s team at elections@staffordbc.gov.uk or 01785 619424 if you have any queries. People who are not registered can do so at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote.
