Between mid-July and November, we conduct the Annual Canvass of all households in the Borough. The Annual Canvass is carried out in order to ensure that everyone who is eligible to vote is included on the electoral register so they can take part in elections.

We need to find out if there are any changes to the household so that details of people who no longer live at a property can be removed and any new occupants added can register individually.

If you have not registered to vote at all before or have moved address, please register online at GOV.UK - register to vote as soon as possible, as well as returning any form you receive.

Registering to vote means you have a right to vote in elections and can also improve your credit rating.

Please provide an e-mail address and/or telephone number when you register online or when you respond to the annual canvass - it will help us make sure you are properly registered and can take part in elections.

What type of Canvass Communication will you receive?

Matched Properties - Emails and Canvass Communication - CCA 

If the details we hold about you and your property are matched with data held by the government, along with your email address that we hold, then you will receive an email from us, which you must respond to.

For electors with no email address or non-responders from our email, you will be sent a paper communication that does not require a response if there is no change.

Unmatched properties - Canvass Communication - Canvass Form

If details do not match, you will be sent a canvass form which you must respond to.

Please make sure that you respond correctly to the communication you receive as soon as you can, even if there are no changes to be made to the pre-printed details on the form. It is a legal requirement, and you can be fined up to £1,000 for not doing so.

In order to help the Council to save money, please complete all details online or return your form as soon as possible. If you do not respond, we are required to undertake a personal visit to obtain the information.

Invitation to Register

If you tell us there are new people eligible to be registered and they do not register to vote online, after a short period we will send them an Invitation to Register (ITR) form. This form invites that person to apply to register to vote. Individual registration forms ask you to provide your date of birth and National Insurance number.
Please read all of the information included on the form. If you still need advice, please contact the Electoral Services team by email elections.office@bexley.gov.uk or phone 020 8303 7777.

The Register of Electors is often used to confirm an individual’s address, especially if they are applying for credit such as a mortgage, personal loan or even a mobile phone. If you are not registered, you will lose your right to vote at the time of an election.

Postal Voting

The next scheduled election is the Greater London Authority elections, to be held on 2 May 2024. This will be the first election in Bexley where voters are required to show identification at the polling station before casting their vote​​​​​​.

Parliamentary General Election is to be held by January 2025.

You may wish to consider applying for a postal vote. You can download an application form from The Electoral Commission.