This Council is responsible for the administration of all public elections held within the Borough of Surrey Heath, covering referendums, local, parish, parliamentary and European parliamentary elections.
For registration and electoral queries relating to areas outside of the Borough of Surrey Heath, please contact the Electoral Registration Officer at your local Council directly.
The Electoral Registration Office
To find out more about electoral registration and elections, and how you can ensure that you have a voice, please submit an elections enquiry online (using the form on the right), telephone the office on 01276 707165 or email vote@surreyheath.gov.uk
Registering to vote
The way we register to vote changed on Tuesday 10 June 2014. The new system is called "Individual Electoral Registration".
Everyone is responsible for registering themselves rather than the old system of one person from each household registering everyone who lived at their address.
See Electoral Register - About my Vote for more information
Why do I need to be registered?
You can only vote if you are registered. Also credit reference agencies use the Electoral Register when they assess credit applications for obtaining loans or mortgages and when individuals open bank accounts or wish to set up mobile phone contracts. Registration is required by law.
What is different?
You can now register securely online by visiting www.gov.uk/register-to-vote
You do not need to complete a paper form. You now need to provide more details than before - your national insurance number and date of birth.
How do I register?
- Go to www.gov.uk/register-to-vote
- Fill in all parts of the forms and include your date of birth and national insurance number. Your national insurance number can be found on your national insurance card or on a payslip or letter about benefits or pension information.
- You will receive confirmation to say you have been registered.
I am already registered - what do I need to do?
Most people who are already registered to vote will be registered automatically under the new individual system and this will be confirmed in the letter we will send you. If this applies to you, you will not need to do anything. However some people will need to take action for their details to be added to the new individual register.
To find out more about individual registration you can visit www.gov.uk/yourvotematters
I do not know if I am registered
You can check whether you are already registered by contacting the Elections team online (using the form above), by email to vote@surreyheath.gov.uk or by phone on 01276 707165
Who can register to vote?
You can register to vote as soon as you are 17 (although you can't vote until you are 18). You must also live at an address in the Surrey Heath area for at least six months of the year.
You also need to be:
- A British, Irish or Commonwealth citizen; or
- A citizen of a country in the European Union: and
- Resident at your address for at least 6 months of the year
Overseas Electors
You are able to register as an overseas elector for up to 15 years after you appeared on the register as an ordinary elector. This time period is measured from the qualifying date for the last electoral register you were on as a UK resident (or if you were too young, from the date you left the UK), to the qualifying date for the register you want to be on as an overseas elector. You must be a British Citizen.
To register as an overseas elector you must complete an Overseas Elector's Declaration form. You will be required to find another British Citizen to support what you say in your declaration, who is resident in the same country. You will have to register annually.
If you are planning to move abroad from the Surrey Heath area, please contact the electoral registration office online (using the form above), on 01276 707165 or e-mail vote@surreyheath.gov.uk for a copy of the form. If you are already living abroad, you can obtain a copy of the form from your nearest British consular or diplomatic mission. Forms are also available on the electoral commission site at www.yourvotematters.co.uk
Note:
New legislation will now allow overseas electors to vote either by post or proxy. If you choose to vote by proxy, you will need to appoint someone to vote on your behalf (a proxy), and the Declaration form includes a section for appointing such a person.
Should you choose to vote by post, you should take into account the possible delay in postage (receipt and return) of your ballot paper, as any ballot papers received after the close of poll will NOT be counted.
The Electoral Register and Open Register
The Electoral Registration Officer keeps two registers - the electoral register and the open register (also known as the edited register).
Fair Processing Statement
This authority is under a duty to protect the public funds it administers, and to this end may use the information you have provided on this form for the prevention and detection of fraud. It may also share this information with other bodies responsible for auditing or administering public funds for these purposes. For further information, see Data Matching national fraud initiative and the Elections Privacy Notice contact corporateenforcement@surreyheath.gov.uk