RESIDENTS of the Torridge district are being reminded to make sure they are on the electoral register.

Under electoral commission rules every householder needs to reply every year in order to stay on the electoral register so that they can vote in future elections, even if there are no changes to record.

Households in Torridge have, over the last few months, received forms detailing who currently appears on the electoral register at their address.

87% of properties in the area have responded to the forms, but 4,209 (13%) of properties have yet to respond. Over the coming weeks the 13% who have not responded will receive a visit from an electoral canvasser to encourage them to confirm the details or make any necessary amendments on the form.

House to house calls will take place between October 14 and November 14. All canvassers will carry identification and may visit the properties during early evenings and at the weekends as well as during the day.

Registering to vote gives you the opportunity to have a say on important issues that affect you. If you are not on the Electoral Register, you cannot vote. Registering to vote does not mean you have to vote, it just means you can if you want to.

If you are not on the Electoral Register it may also affect your credit rating, which may lead to difficulty when applying for mortgages, credit cards or even a mobile phone contract.

Councillor Sam Robinson – Lead Member for Democratic Support said: ’The new electoral register will be published on December 1, 2016. To make sure you’re on it people need to respond to the forms that are being sent out even if they’ve provided this information in previous years.

’Although we have had a very good response rate so far, with 1,000 more households responding compared to the same time last year, we would like to encourage the few remaining households to get in touch. It only takes a few minutes to complete the form and being on the register can also help in other areas such as applications for credit that have now become a standard part of modern life.’