Registering To Vote

How to register to vote

In order to vote in any election, your name must be on the Electoral Register for your area.

We publish a new register for Mid Bedfordshire, annually, on the first working day of December.  The current register will be published on 1st December 2008.  

If you are not currently on the register, you can complete an application form to be added - Register as an Elector Form (application/pdf: 21kb).  

If you have any queries or questions, please contact Electoral Services for further information. 

Who can register to vote

You are eligible to register if you are:-

• 18 years old or above;
• British, Commonwealth, or EU citizen living in the Mid Bedfordshire area, or
  not currently on the register; and/or
• If you have a second home you can register from that address too, and if you are a student living away from home in term time you can register at both addresses. You will be able to vote in local elections for both areas, however it is illegal to vote in an election more than once.

The Electoral Register

What is the Electoral Register?

The Electoral Register is the list of everyone who is entitled to vote. Until 2002, any company or organisation could buy a copy of the electoral register. However, the law has now changed so that electors have some choice over whether they wish their name and address to be made available to anyone. There are now two versions of the register: the full version and the edited version.

Full Register

The full version of the register contains the details of everyone who is registered to vote, but is only available for certain purposes, such as elections, law enforcement and credit checks.

Edited Register

The edited version of the register is available for general sale. Electors can choose to have their details omitted from the edited register by marking a box on the annual canvass form or the rolling registration form, or when they first register to become an elector.