Register to vote

You need to register to vote before you can vote in UK elections and referendums.

Paying council tax does not automatically put you on the electoral register. You still need to register to vote.

To register to vote, you need to:

  • be 16 years or over (but you will not be able to vote until you are 18)
  • be a British, Irish or qualifying Commonwealth citizen or EU citizen living in the UK
  • be resident at an address in the UK (or a British citizen living abroad who has been registered to vote in the UK in the last 15 years)

You can register to vote on GOV.UK

You can find out about the different types of elections and who can vote in them on The Electoral Commission website.

You can still register to vote if you are:

You can also register to vote anonymously if you think that your name appearing on the electoral register could affect your safety.

If you have moved house or changed your name, you need to update your details on GOV.UK

Electoral register

When you register to vote, you are added to the electoral register. We keep two registers - the electoral register and the open register.

The electoral register (full version)

Everyone's name and address goes on the full version of the electoral register. The full version of the register is only used for:

  • elections
  • preventing and detecting crime (e.g. fraud)
  • checking credit applications

Candidates, registered political parties and other registered campaigners are also allowed to have copies of the full electoral register. They can use the register for campaigning activities, including sending election communication to voters.

The electoral register is updated every month from January to September.

The deadline dates for each monthly update are:

Table
Electoral register monthly update deadline dates
Monthly publication date Deadline for registrations or changes
2 January 2024 11 December 2023
1 February 2024 10 January 2024
1 March 2024 7 February 2024
2 April 2024 11 March 2024
1 May 2024 9 April 2024
3 June 2024 10 May 2024
1 July 2024 7 June 2024
1 August 2024 10 July 2024
2 September 2024 9 August 2024
1 October 2024 9 September 2024
1 November 2024 10 October 2024
1 December 2024 21 November 2024

The open register (edited version)

This is an extract of the full version, but it is not used for elections. Anyone can buy a copy of this, and it's often used by businesses and charities to confirm name and address details.

Your name and address will automatically be added to the open register unless you opt out.

Opting out of the open register will not affect your right to vote.

You can opt out of the open register:

You can find more information about the electoral register on The Electoral Commission website

Remove someone from the electoral register

If you need to remove someone from the electoral register because they have moved out of your property, you need to email elections@harlow.gov.uk

The email needs to include:

  • their full name
  • the address that they were registered to

We will either automatically delete the person's registration if we are able to, or we will conduct a review before cancelling it. 

If you need to remove someone from the electoral register because they have died, you need to contact us.

View the electoral register

You can view the electoral register at the Elections Office in Latton Bush Centre. You can email elections@harlow.gov.uk or phone 01279 446042 to make an appointment.