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No vote – No Voice: are you registered?

If you are over 16 and a UK, Irish, Commonwealth or European Union citizen resident in Aberdeen/Aberdeenshire/Banff and Buchan/Moray you should be! (Please use as appropriate)

Independent research in the UK suggests a high proportion of residents of tenanted housing are not registered to vote, with one report claiming more than 50% of tenants are unregistered.

With important local government elections due to take place next year it is vital citizens ensure they are registered.

The Grampian Electoral Registration Office will be issuing a canvass form to every household this weekend.

Householders are requested to make sure that the name of anybody who is entitled to be registered and resident at that address is included on the canvass form.

The names of existing electors already registered at the address will be pre-printed on the form. Householders will be asked to score out the names of anybody no longer resident and add any the names of new residents who qualify as voters.

Citizens can also use the canvass form to request a postal vote in future elections and to make sure their name is excluded from any registers purchased by direct marketing organisations that might issue ‘junk’ mail.

If there are no changes to the names on the form, the householder can respond using a convenient freephone, text or internet response service as an alternative to posting the form back.

Regardless of whether you are interested in voting or not, all households must respond to the canvass or face the possibility of a £1,000 fine.

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