Annual canvass

We are required by law to complete a canvass of all properties in Chelmsford. This is to check that everyone who is eligible to vote is on the electoral register.

We carry out the Annual Canvass from July to December each year, so look out for emails, letters, calls and visits from us during that time.

When we contact you, we may require a response, so make sure you read the information we send you carefully.

We also carry out a data matching exercise as part of this process. The results of that exercise will determine how we contact you and what you have to do next.

We will email some residents, which will look similar to the screenshot above and will come from this address: 

"chelmsford.city.council.electoral.services@notifications.service.gov.uk"

We will only send you an email if we:

  • believe your details have not changed, and
  • have an email address for you, or someone else in your property

If you receive an email and your details are correct, you just need to respond to confirm this. 

We may also send a reminder. If you, or someone in your household, has already responded, you can ignore the reminder. 

We manage the responses per household. So if you see the details have already been confirmed, you should check with the other members of your household before contacting us.

If you do not reply to the email after 14 days, we will send you a letter confirming your details . You do not need to reply to this letter.

If the details we hold for you are incorrect, you need to update your details. 

If you receive a letter, you need to read the instructions carefully, as you may need to respond.

If your letter says you do need to respond, you can respond online, via telephone or SMS. 

If you receive a: 

  • green letter, you do not need to reply, unless there is something to change
  • a white letter, you must reply, even if you have no changes to report

If you do not respond within 21 days, we will send you a reminder letter with a return envelope. We may also call you or visit your address to confirm who lives there.

If you still do not respond, we may issue a fine.

If you received a letter that needed a response but you have not replied, we will call you if we have your number on file. 

We will only ask you to confirm the details that we already have on file. If you need to notify us of a new resident, we only need their name. 

If you miss our call, we would be very grateful if you could call us back on 01245 606 449. 

If you do not get back to us, we have to issue reminders and a member of staff may have to knock on your door.

If we need a response from you and we haven’t heard back, we have to send someone to visit your property to get a response.

The member of staff will read out to you the details that we hold for your property and ask you to confirm if it is up to date.

You will not be required to pass anything back and forth so that we can maintain social distancing.

We would be grateful if you could do what you can to help us ensure we keep you and our staff safe.

We will not contact you directly if you live in:

  • a nursing home
  • university halls
  • some assisted living sites

However, if you are a new resident, you should look out for a letter asking you to register to vote.

If you are not already registered to vote at your address, responding to the canvass does not add you to the register.

You can either register online at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote or we will send you a letter to do so.

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