A drive to ensure people in Wirral don’t lose their right to vote in future elections is underway.
Over the coming weeks, the council’s elections team will be contacting residents to ensure that their details are up to date.
People are now being urged to look out for important information from the Council’s elections team as they make sure the Register of Electors is up-to-date and accurate.
This Register is a list of names and addresses of people eligible to vote in local, regional and Parliamentary elections and forms the basis of our democratic process.
It is updated every year and this annual update, which is known as the annual canvass, helps to identify residents who are not currently registered to vote, so that they can be encouraged to join the list and exercise their right to vote if they wish to do so.
The register is also used by credit reference agencies when people apply for credit. Information about your privacy and how the information is made available is posted at wirral.gov.uk/register 
The council has started to contact residents who have provided an email address. The email sender will appear as wirralelectoral@wirral.gov.uk
All other households – and those not responding to the email – will receive a form by post after the 22 July 2023. The form asks residents to check whether their information that appears on the electoral register is correct.
There are two types of forms and residents will receive the appropriate one depending on their circumstances. They are:
- Canvass Communication A (CCA) will be sent to people whose information on the Electoral Register matches information from the Department of Work and Pensions. If all the information in the letter is correct they do not need to reply. However, they will need to respond if they need to report changes to the information on the form.
- Canvass Communication B (CCB) or Canvass Form will be sent to people whose Electoral Register information cannot be matched with that from the Department of Work and Pensions. If you receive one of these you must reply, even if there are no changes to your information on the form.
Residents can report changes to the information in any one of the following ways:
- Visit the Household Response website at householdresponse.com and select Wirral Council
- Call the automated helpline: 0800 197 9871
- Call the Electoral Services team on (0151) 691 8046
Please note that you will need the security codes printed on your form to use the automated service. Anyone who is unable to use the options above should complete and send the form back to the elections team at the address provided on the form.
New Residents
New residents at a property, or a resident who should be registered but are not listed on the form, will need to register at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote
People without internet access can call the elections team on (0151) 691 8046 to provide the information, or request a paper application form in the post.
What happens if am I required to respond but I do not return the Form? You are required by law to respond. An electoral canvasser will visit homes from September 2023 with a Canvass Reminder form. You will be asked to confirm if the information printed on the form is correct and requested to provide information about any changes to the household. Please note that you are required by law to respond.
If you would like more information on the Annual Canvass, please visit the Electoral Commission website
Wirral Council’s elections team can also answer questions via email at electoral@wirral.gov.uk or telephone: 0151 691 8046.
Further information, including a list of frequently asked questions and a privacy notice outlining how information is managed, is available at www.wirral.gov.uk/register
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