Annual Canvass Begins Again

Reading’s annual canvass has begun again with residents asked to look out for and respond to emails from the Council.

The annual canvass is a key process carried out by the Council each year to ensure residents do not miss out on being able to vote.

Starting last week, the Council began emailing electors where it holds a valid email address and where it has been able to match details with the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP). Residents must respond to this email to confirm the electoral register information is correct, or advise of any changes. 

The Council is urging residents who receive an email to respond as quickly as possible to avoid the cost and carbon footprint of reminder letters having to be sent later this year. The quickest and easiest way to reply is online by following the details given in the email.

Where the Council does not hold a valid email address, a letter will be sent to households instead. If there are no changes to the printed information in the communication, then residents do not need to respond to the letter. Residents are however being asked to share their email address with the Council so that communications can be sent by email in the future.

Towards the end of July, some households will receive a ‘Canvass Communication B letter’ from the Council. This communication will be sent to households where the Council has been unable to match details with the Department of Work and Pensions. People will need to respond to this letter to ensure the electoral register information is correct. Again, residents are encouraged to reply online as quickly as possible by following the details and instructions given in the letter.

Michael Graham, Electoral Registration Officer at Reading Borough Council, said:

 “It’s really important that residents keep an eye out for either emails or letters from the Council over the coming days and weeks and respond to them as swiftly as possible.

 "This is the first year the Council is using emails to contact electors as part of the annual canvass and it is important to emphasise that where residents receive an email from us,  they need to respond to the Council even where all the details are correct.  This is so that we know that the email has been received by the resident.

 “Responses from residents allow us to keep the electoral register up to date, identify residents who are not registered and encourage them to do so.

 “If you’re not currently registered, your name will not appear in the communications we send. If you are entitled to register, the easiest way is online at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote or we’ll send you information explaining how to do this in the post.”

People who have moved recently are particularly encouraged to look out for the voter registration messages from the Council and check the details. 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. Across Great Britain, 92% of people who have been at their property for more than sixteen years will be registered, compared to 36% of people who have lived at an address for less than one year.

A reminder on Postal Vote Re-application

Residents are also being reminded that another important change has been introduced which means 18,000 electors will need to re-apply for their postal vote this year.

Following changes introduced by the Elections Act 2022, all postal voters are now required to reapply for their postal vote every three years. 

All postal voters who made their current application before 31 October 2023 are required to reapply for their postal vote by 31 January 2026. If a new application is not received by this date, the electoral registration officer is required by law to cancel the postal vote and electors will have to vote at a polling station until a new postal vote application is received, or a proxy is appointed. 

Reading Borough Council’s election team has begun the postal vote re-application process, giving electors plenty of time to re-apply for their postal vote before the next scheduled election takes place on 7 May 2026.

The team has begun contacting all affected electors, either by email or post, with information on the necessary steps to make a new application.

The quickest and simplest way for electors to make an application is online at www.gov.uk/apply-postal-vote.  Alternatively, electors can complete and return the form included in the email or letter that is being sent out to those electors required to make a new postal application.

Residents with questions about their registration status can contact the Council’s electoral services team at elections@reading.gov.uk or by calling 0118 937 3717