Fined £80 for not joining

[Honeyandapple]

The electoral roll.
Is this a new thing? The council have sent me a letter to my new address saying I must register to vote and if I don't register I will be fined.
Seems quite a lot and I'm unsure if this is a one-off fine or every time there's an election. I have always voted previously, but I now work in a position dealing with a lot of people in very vulnerable situations often with severe MH issues and often ex offenders. I'd quite like not to be so easily traceable!

AIBU not joining the electoral role and expecting not to have to pay a fine.

As far as I know it has always been the case that you can be fined.

You can opt out of the electoral roll that is publicly available to search though.

Isn’t there an option to not be shown on the public electoral? I thought there was. As for voting, there is always a choice to not vote. It’s not a legal requirement.

You can be fined for lying on the form so I guess it stands to reason you can be fined for not filling it out and sending it back.

It’s always been the case.

You can opt out of being public on the electoral (I.e people can’t search you) If you so wish. But yes that form has to be filled in and returned, about once a years we get them

AFAIK there's two lists - a publicly searchable list, & one that isn't searchable, only used for official purposes (we opted for that one due to nuisance callers at our previous address).

You have to be on the roll but you can just opt out of the info being public.

Yes, just opt out of the public list.

I'm registered to vote but no-one can search me, as I ticked the box not to have my details public. Just do the same.

Yes you can opt out of the open register.

I think the maximum fine is a lot more than £80 and yes, you can definitely opt out of the open register - I have.

Being on the electoral roll is also helpful in terms of getting credit e.g. for a mobile contract.

All you have to do is tick the box saying you don't want to be on the main register that people can look at, and hey presto.

What else would famous people do?

Just opt out of the open register. The full register (which you cant opt out of) is only available to official channels. It iisnt publicly viewable.

Our letters always say fine of up to £1,000 if we don’t confirm residents. It’s not even an annual thing, seems to happen 2-3 times a year.

Yes. They can and will fine you.
You just need to opt out of the public register.

Enforcement is patchy.

www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/prosecutionsfines_for_failure_to

We have opted out of the public register but still get letters.

Anonymous registration - This is a type of registration by which those people who feel that being on the Electoral Register could affect their safety (for instance, if they are escaping from domestic violence or their occupation would mean they must keep their identity private), can be registered without their name appearing on written records. There are criteria to be met before this can take place.

Found this on LB Hillingdon website. It might be worth contacting your local authority to apply for annonimity due to your profession?

It's not new.

I'm on the edited electoral roll. Have been since I could vote.

Just get on with it.

It's also worth registering as it helps your credit score. I'm registered but because the council haven't told the credit check people, I have a (slightly) reduced score, which is extremely annoying since it's through no fault of my own!

Yeah I get clipboard warriors knocking from the council every sodding time telling me I could be given a huge fine (it was a lot more than £80) and berating me, every time I have to point out I am registered, their record is clearly bollocks and can they please update it as I'm sick of them knocking and bitching.
One of them was really rude about it, I couldn't even get a word in and in the end, she read me my rights (I later found out she had no authority to do that at all), I said "could you wait a moment please", I pulled the door shut and she started banging on it again, I popped to my side table and brought my bloody voting forms to show her, told her to next time allow a person to speak and then I shut the door on her.
The council was quite embarrassed about it but yep, same thing has happened twice since.

You can opt out of being on the public database if you think.

Want*

It's always been the case if you refuse to register.

Just opt out of the public database if you're worried.

The electoral roll is how they find people for Jury Service among other things so you do have to be listed on it. You just have to tick a box to opt out of the public register.

@LadyofTheManners they have to confirm the details periodically so have to ask you even if your residents haven’t changed.