Your vote is your voice - make sure you're registered to vote
Lancaster City Council has launched a new campaign to encourage people to register to vote.
Lancaster City Council has launched a new campaign to encourage people to register to vote.
And those that return their forms on time could be in line to win £500 in cash.
Each year the council is required by law to canvass every household in the district and produce a Register of Electors. The forms for this year’s canvass will be distributed in August and by the middle of August every household in the district should have received one.
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Those that confirm their details, or register changes to the existing, by September 15 will be entered into a free prize draw to win a first prize of £500. There will also be second and third prizes of £250 and £100 respectively.
Anyone who has not registered their household after this date will be visited by one of the council’s team of canvassers.
Alison Braidford, Lancaster City Council’s elections officer, explained the aim of the campaign: “Registering to vote is vitally important.
“As well as not being able to vote, people who are not on the Register of Electors could find their credit rating is affected, meaning that they may be unable to get a bank loan, a mortgage, a credit card or sign up for a mobile phone.
“By offering an incentive to people to return their forms earlier we hope to ease the burden on our canvassing team and, ultimately, reduce the cost of the annual canvass.”
The campaign is being funded by the Government through the Electoral Participation Fund and hopes to increase the number of people on the electoral register.
The updated register will be published on December 1 and will be based on where people will be living on October 15.
After the register has been published, people can still apply to be added, for example when they move house, and forms can be obtained from Lancaster or Morecambe Town Halls, by phoning 01524 582905 or via www.lancaster.gov.uk/elections.
If a form is not delivered to your property by August 15, or you have any other questions, help is available from the council by telephoning 01524 582905.
Date Updated: 19/03/09