Don’t miss out on your right to vote

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return your electoral registration - time is running out

Ensuring that you retain your right to vote could not be easier. The form, which was delivered to every residential address in the borough at the end of August, can be filled in, signed and returned to the town hall in the pre-paid envelope.

Alternatively people can use a freephone facility or register online. These two options are however available only to households whose details have not changed over the past year. People who register in one of these two ways must have their registration form in front of them when doing so as it contains a unique PIN code they will need to use.

The deadline for registering is midnight on Wednesday, November 28. It is a legal requirement for people to register.

New legislation means that town hall staff must call at all the addresses that have not responded to this year’s canvass.

People who live in high-rise blocks or gated communities with entryphone or integral security systems are being especially urged to return their forms, as canvassers often find it difficult to gain access to these homes.

There are more than 32,000 homes in the borough with these security systems, or roughly 25 per cent of all homes in Wandsworth. The problem is particularly acute in Battersea where the proportion stands at 45 per cent.

Head of electoral registration Neil Kennett said: "It is vitally important for people to return their forms. Elections for the Mayor of London and the London Assembly will be held on May 1 next year and unless people have registered they won’t be able to vote.

"It is simple and easy to do, and should not take more than a couple of minutes of your time. Registering by post, over the phone or online means that you won’t have the inconvenience of someone calling at your door to chase up your details.

"I would particularly urge people who have entryphone systems to register as quickly as possible. It is not always easy for our staff to get to their front doors, and so people in these type of properties may not get their personal reminder in time and this could mean them losing out on their their vote."

A recent customer satisfaction survey showed that more than 94 per cent of those who responded stated they were satisfied with the service provided by the electoral registration service.

November 22, 2007