All households in the Shropshire Council area will be contacted from this Friday (15 August 2025) to check that the correct people are registered to vote, and to identify any residents who are not yet registered.
It’s part of the annual election canvass, carried out by councils across the country to help ensure the electoral register is up-to-date – and to encourage those not already registered to do so.
Over the coming weeks, Shropshire Council will be contacting many households by email, though some residents will get a form in the post.
This year’s canvass will also include information relating to postal vote renewal as new legislation mandates that all postal voters who applied before October 2023 must reapply for a new postal vote. Canvass communications will include information identifying the affected electors and encouraging them to reapply via the government website – www.gov.uk/apply-postal-vote.
Andy Begley, the electoral registration officer for Shropshire Council, said:
“It’s important that residents keep an eye out for messages from us, which for many people will be in the form of an email, rather than a form through the post.
“The email will contain a two-part security code and a link to a secure household response website. Electors should carefully follow the instructions contained in the household response message, so that we can make sure that we have all the right details on the Electoral Register for every address in our area.
“We also urge people affected by the postal vote renewal changes to look out for messages relevant to them.”
Voters are being encouraged to complete their online household response process by 7 September 2025 but may, if they do not have online access, contact the council’s Customer Services Team on 0345 678 9015, who can assist them with their household response over the telephone.
If someone is not currently registered, their name will not appear in the messages the council sends. Anyone who wants to register can do so online at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote.
People who have moved recently are particularly encouraged to look out for the voter communications and check the details.
Any residents who have any questions can contact Shropshire Council on 0345 678 9015 or by email at [email protected].
Initial communication will be sent on 15 August 2025, with reminders sent on 12 September and final reminders on 10 October 2025. In some instances, a canvasser will contact the property to confirm the information held is still relevant.
Further information
In the Shropshire Council area there are 152,700 properties to canvass and the type of form they will receive depends on which ‘route’ they have been allocated to following a national data matching process.
- Route 1: Canvass Communication A (CCA) – if a household receives a paper form no action is required if there are no changes, but if they receive an email, they will have to respond using one of the methods identified in the email.
- Route 2: Canvass Communication B (CCB) or Canvass Form (CF) – requires a response by the household to either confirm or amend the contents of the form.
- Route 3: This route relates to properties with multiple residents such as care homes or armed forces properties. A Single Responsible Officer (SRO) will be contacted with details of the electors registered at the property and they will be responsible for updating the records.