Electoral registration drive plea
Date Published : 07 September 2010
Families have been urged to respond as soon as possible when a form from Walsall Council's electoral registration office falls through the letterbox.
Elections bosses are sending out about 48,000 reminder forms to ask people to keep their details up to date to allow them to retain their right to vote.
As part of the scheme, residents who were born on or after 1 December 1992 can be added to the register so that they can vote when they turn 18
Peter Allsop, Walsall Council elections manager, said: "We sent out forms in August to ask people to confirm their details or make changes where needed, such as removing someone no longer living there or adding new eligible residents.
"We are now sending out reminder forms to about 45 per cent of addresses in Walsall that have not returned the first form.
"If people don't respond we are legally obliged to knock on the doors of those who have not returned the form in order to keep our records up to date.
"Most people probably don't want that and it's not the best way of using taxpayers money in this day and age."
Residents have until September 29 to return the forms. If there is are no changes to the details on the form they have the choice of using the internet, an 0800 number or texting to register no change, which also means they do not have to return the form and so save council the postage cost.
The new register will be published on December 1 and will also be used by Parliament to calculate any changes to constituency boundaries.