This in from the council, in their own words. Ed
Isle of Wight households will soon start receiving forms that are used to compile the Register of Electors – or the Electoral Register as it is commonly known.
The forms give the opportunity for people to make changes to the names of those registered as electors at an address, with the new electoral register published on 1 December 2011.
Legal requirement to complete forms
It is a legal requirement to fill out and return the forms, even if there have been no changes to your household. If no forms are returned, then those living at the household may be removed from the register.
This will not only prevent you from voting in elections, it may also harm your efforts to get credit such as loans or finance. This is because many firms use the electoral register as part of the application process and may refuse credit if your details are not on there.
You can choose not to share details with third parties
Anyone has the choice on the form if they want to exclude their details from being sold to third parties, as anyone can buy copies of the electoral register.
However, a copy of the full register will always be available for public inspection at County Hall in Newport.
Any households that have not received canvass forms by 1 September should contact the council’s Electoral Services on 821000.
