Vocal Voices

We received letters from our local council yesterday regarding voting, saying that we have been automatically registered under the new system.

Now that is all very well, but if you read on down the letter you see that there are now two registers - the electoral register and also the open register.

Under the title of the open register it says

"this is an extract of the electoral register, but is not used for elections. It can be bought by any person, company or organisation. For example it is used by businesses and charities to confirm name and address details. Your name and address will be included in the open register unless you ask for them to be removed."


Well, I am going to get mine removed asap. I feel that this will only add to the number of unwanted callers about boilers and double glazing. What I would like to know is - what are the council thinking of doing this, and is this the same across the whole of the UK?

There have always been two Rodo, it just wasn't written down as clearly on the form but it was there, a box had to be ticked if you wanted to come off the one they sell on. We have never had our names on that one but we still get loads of junk mail.

I wasn't aware of that at all Molly. Thanks for that info. I shall email toot sweet.

I had a letter of registration too and it said I was on the open register. I immediately protested by email as I have always ticked the box against it. Received a letter of apology.

Yes, same as Molly. We've also received letters, and these confirmed that we are not on the Open Register, as we originally elected.

We've had ours, and both are correct, in that we're already opted out of the open one

We opted out of the open one several years ago when the change was made. I check every year to make sure that we have not been moved to the open one.

cruiser2 wrote:We opted out of the open one several years ago when the change was made. I check every year to make sure that we have not been moved to the open one.

Same here.

I scan mine before posting them off as a number have "gone missing" in the past.

Before one of the last elections I was informed that I was about to break the law as I had not registered... even though I know that the form was filled in and posted. The sky was apparently about to fall in, so I had to do a quick register online. I saved the relevant page to my computer as a webpage so that I had proof.

I have lost all trust in these government run things.

As we would be away on a cruise earlier this year, I wanted the forms for the postal vote to be sent to me before we went. A jobsworth said it was not possible to change the date.
Managed to ask did this mean I could not vote. Got an email reply the day before I went away to say I could have a form to have a proxy vote. No mention of this arrangement on any of the forms or other documentation.
Just another example of the shambles the election system is.