Electoral Registration - Canvass 2020

Impact of COVID-19 on the 2020 canvass

The 2020 canvass will run from 3 August 2020, it is required by law and has not been suspended as a result of COVID-19.

When you are contacted, if you need to make a change to your registration information please respond as soon as possible, as it will help the canvass run smoothly and it means that there will be no need for additional contact which is particularly important at the moment. 

We are required to keep our register of eligible voters up to date. Each year, we contact every household to find out if the details on the electoral register are correct.

Your household may be contacted by: 

  • post
  • phone
  • email

Please respond online if you can by following the instructions on the form you are sent. Responding online is particularly helpful in the current public health situation.

Please Note: The law in Wales has changed.

14 -16 year olds and qualifying foreign citizens living in Wales can now register to vote. By registering to vote, a young person can now take part in Senedd elections from the age of 16.  By registering to vote, a foreign citizen aged 16 or over, can now take part in Senedd elections 

Information on voting for 14-16 year olds and qualifying foreign citizens

You can register to vote if you are:
Resident (usually live) in Wales and aged 14 or over (but you will not be able to vote in Senedd elections until you are 16. You will not be able to vote in UK Parliamentary, local council or Police and Crime Commissioner elections until you are 18).

You must also be either:

  • ​A British, Irish or European Union Citizen, or
  • A Commonwealth citizen or foreign citizen who has leave to enter or remain in the UK, or who does not require such leave.

To arrange to vote by post or by proxy (someone you trust voting on your behalf) you can download an application form on the Electoral Commission website​​​​​​​​​​​​​​External link opens in a new window​​. ​To change any existing postal or proxy vote arrangements contact the electoral services team.

The open register is an extract of the electoral register, but it is not used for elections. It can be bought by anyone and used for many purposes including confirming name and address details and direct marketing purposes. 

Removing your details from the open register does not affect your right to vote. If you are aged under 16 your details will not be included in the open register.

We collect information under the legal basis of a task carried out in the public interest, as set out in the Representation of the People Act 1983, the Senedd and Elections (Wales) Act 2020 and related regulations.

We look after personal information securely and follow data protection legislation.

If you opted-out of the open register we will only use the information you give us for electoral purposes, including matching it against other sources of data to support the electoral register.

If you are currently registered, where applicable, we have processed your data correctly. We will not give personal information to anyone else, unless we have to by law. The law requires us to share your information with candidates, political parties and campaigners for democratic engagement purposes and credit reference agencies to check your identity when you apply for credit. 

If you have not opted-out of the open register your name and address can be bought by anyone and used for lots of purposes, including direct marketing.