How to Vote

You need to be on the electoral register to vote in all UK elections and referendums. You are not automatically registered even if you pay council tax.

If you are aged 16 or 17 you can register to vote, but you are not allowed to actually vote until you are 18. If your 18th birthday is just before an election it is a good idea to register now so that you are able to vote on election day. Most people register between September and November every year when the local council delivers a registration form to your home. This is known as the 'annual canvass'. However, you can also register throughout the year as the register is updated every month. This is useful if you move home and need to register at your new address.

If you are living at home it will be the responsibility of your parents to keep the information about your household up to date. When you have your own property the responsibility will become yours. You can register at any time or complete the Annual Canvass card that is delivered to all properties.

Students are entitled to register at both their home address and their university address, but can only vote once to the same elected chamber or position.

All you need to do now is decide, which party meets the views that you hold. For more information on how to register or actually place your vote go to www.aboutmyvote.co.uk .

Good luck and remember you have a voice and a vote, so don’t forget to use it.

The financial importance of electoral roll

As well as being able to vote in local and general elections there is another important reason to make sure you can be found on the electoral roll. The electoral roll is used by lenders as one of the primary data sources for verifying the current residency and identity of consumers, when assessing credit applications. It is also used by credit reference agencies as the base record for credit files. Most consumers are unaware of how important electoral roll registration is to their credit score – the magic number that lenders use to determine whether a consumer’s credit application is acceptable, and increasingly, to decide what interest rate to charge.

Failing to register on the electoral roll can mean a lender cannot match a consumer with their credit file at the credit reference agencies. When that is the case, lenders will normally refuse an application rather than lend with no information to base a decision upon.

Even when an applicant’s credit file can be traced, despite not being on the electoral roll, by reference to other lender records, their credit score is likely to be lower simply because the applicant is not registered on the electoral roll at the current address. Most lenders now grant credit using risk based analysis, and a lower credit score means a consumer can expect to be charged a higher rate of interest.