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Why you should register to vote
When you apply for credit (including new mobile phone, gas and electricity contracts), the lender will usually carry out a credit check – your application will give the lender permission to access your credit report.
Your credit report includes information about where you are registered to vote – in order to combat fraud, this information is used to help confirm your name and address.
Not registering to vote, being registered to vote at an old address, or adding the wrong details on the Electoral Register can mean you’re refused credit. On top of this, you might also find it difficult to:
- Get insurance
- Access legal and accountancy services
- Open savings accounts or other investments
- Obtain some public services, like getting a passport
- Apply for certain jobs, particularly in the financial services sector (where your credit report is often checked as part of the application process)
If you join CreditExpert, you can check your credit report whenever you want to make sure that your Electoral Register information is up to date.
Who controls the Electoral Registers
In England, Scotland and Wales, local councils publish their Electoral Registers, sometimes called electoral rolls, on 1 December each year. These show who is registered to vote at each address.
The information comes from the annual canvass, when councils consult all local households about who is eligible to vote, usually between August and November.
If you didn’t register at this time (because, say, you moved house in the middle of the year), you can still register using a ‘rolling register’ form. Councils then update their registers on a monthly basis – and your credit report will also be updated.
In Northern Ireland, councils do not carry out an annual canvass and simply update their registers every month, so the only updates come from the rolling register forms.
What to do when you move home
Ask your new council straight away to register to vote. And tell your old council that you’ve moved, so they can take you off the register there.
You’ll need to wait until the next month for the Council to update its register and for your credit report to be updated. Until it is, you may need to provide extra information if you apply for credit (or any other service that uses the Electoral Register to check your details).
What if my Experian credit report says I’m not on the Electoral Register when I am?
Contact Experian’s Consumer Help Service. They hold copies of all local council’s Electoral Register, and will be able to investigate. Any necessary changes will be made to your report as quickly as possible.
What if I am not eligible to vote?
Again, contact Experian’s Consumer Help Service and order a copy of your credit report. You could add a note (called a Notice of Correction) to your report explaining that you cannot register on the Electoral Register because you are not eligible to vote in UK or EU elections.
If you join CreditExpert, you can check your credit report and access exclusive help and information on credit and your finances.
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