People who live in Rutland are being encouraged to take part in the County's latest annual canvass, to make sure they can vote in future elections.

The annual canvass is held between July and December each year and helps Rutland County Council to update the Local Electoral Register. The Register is important as it ensures that people are able to vote in elections and if people are not on the Register it can affect the ability to access credit. Those who are not registered can then be offered the chance to complete the registration process.

People who have moved home recently are particularly encouraged to look out for the voter registration messages and check who is registered to vote at their new address. Research by the Electoral Commission indicates that recent home movers are far less likely to be registered than those who have lived at the same address for a long time.

Local councils are required by law to organise and oversee the annual canvass in their area. Depending on what contact information you have provided to the council previously, you will receive an email or a letter asking you to take part in the canvass. Around 6,000 canvass emails have been sent out, with paper canvass forms following in the post later this month and early into August.

If you have received an email about the canvass it will only be valid if it has come from the following secure email address: [email protected]

Letters will also be going out to properties that we need to confirm details with and these will be arriving on doorsteps next week. Residents are asked to follow the instructions contained in their letter or email and respond as soon as possible. Councils are required to make repeated attempts to contact electors who do not provide a response to the canvass, including the use of door-to-door canvassers to gather information.

Further information about registering to vote can be found online at: www.electoralcommission.org.uk/i-am-a/voter. If you have any questions about the annual canvass you can contact Rutland County Council's local registration team by emailing: [email protected] or calling: 01572 720 954.