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 others have said register but tick that you don’t want to be on the open register. You don’t have to vote if don’t want, but you do have to be registered.
Now, if anyone can suggest how I stop the council resending mail to me at an address that no longer exists (demolished) I would love to know the secret. I even worked there and still couldn’t get them to update their details correctly for 6 years. Yes they were the ones to give planning permissions as well. Sigh.

I don't think it's right that you have to register, but that's the law, so you do have to.
You can ask not to be on the public list.

Ok. Thanks a lot everyone.

Is the electoral role that the public can view at their local authority something different? Will my details appear on there, if I tick this box?

You can keep your details off the open register for exactly the reason you’ve stated. You just need to check the box when you register

It's clearly stated on paperwork you will be fined..

Yes the maximum fine is certainly a LOT more than £80. Recently moved house and had couldn't fill the online form in properly, online it stated that a paper copy would be sent out, so waited for it. Instead got a letter from the council saying I could be fined up to £2000 if I didn't register asap!

Have no idea why 'had' is there!

Had to call council to send paper copy to me to fill in as it scared the shit out of me! Wasn't like I hadn't bloody tried the form kept crashing.

Is the electoral role that the public can view at their local authority something different? Will my details appear on there, if I tick this box

Which box? what do you mean? It's not clear.

If you do not want to be on the public register your details cannot be seem online - such as 192 .com- or sold to marketing companies.

Otherwise they can be seen in their office unless you go totally anon- see the link the PP left.

But you would need to have a very very good reason for that and even then, people with a genuine right to see it could. (e g police, etc.)

For those saying you can opt out, this isn't totally foolproof. Our council (Wokingham, I see no reason not to name and shame) managed to sell the full list due to a 'software glitch' They claim it was corrected 'swiftly' but once the details are out there, who knows where they were sold on to...

The open register is the register which anyone can search. You can opt out of this your details wint appear for public use.

The full register is the one actually used by the people involved in elections, it cannot be seen by the public. It can also be used by law enforcement etc but the public cant search it and anyone using it in an official capacity needs real cause.

Three options

1. Be on the open register and your details will be available to everyone

2 opt out of that and be on the edited register. Your details will still be available if someone wants to go into the Council and check or if your local politicians want to have your details to write to etc so not very secure if someone is wanting to track you down.

3 register to vote anonymously. This is only really if you think there is a genuine chance someone will threaten you. www.gov.uk/government/publications/register-to-vote-anonymously

And yes you have to register to vote it’s not optional.

I'm on the edited register, means that I'm not harvested by the junk mail jobbies. Can recommend.

Gosh - I didn’t know it was the law

It's been like this for decades. I remember having a massive falling out with a housemate just after graduation because she refused to give her details for it and I was afraid we'd be caught out and fined. This was 20 odd years ago. I've always opted out of the public register and it's been fine.

You are not being fined for not joining the electoral role. You are being fined for not completing and returning the form. Just opt out of the published one if you are concerned about privacy.

OP I kept forgetting to register for about 18 months after I moved and never got a fine.....

Then the election came! I don’t know the time limit before they throw a fine at you

It has been like this for decades. Just remember to tick the box every single time or your details will go online and you will be traceable.

Just in case you have a sideline business I’ll alert you to the fact that anything companies house know about you and your business is online and there is no opt out available. Until recently this included people’s signatures and date of birth!

Don’t know why they get so rabid about it. Does anyone know the reason?

Because it’s how they keep tabs on you. It prevents council tax fraud. They force you into unpaid work with it (jury duty). In a war situation they would also use this list for conscription. Central government does not keep a giant database of everyone in the country so this is the only way to come close.

Just in case you have a sideline business I’ll alert you to the fact that anything companies house know about you and your business is online

This is true but I enjoy looking up random people and businesses I encounter and looking up their accounts to see how well off they are or where they live it’s fantastic for nosey people

I have been opted out from the public version (which I believe is then secret from everyone except I think companies like equifax) for years and years.

This is my job - encouraging and helping people to complete the forms that are sent out annualy and used to compile the electoral roll, which is updated around the beginning of December each year.

As well as completing the form for each household there is an individual form that has to be completed once. (an invitation to register form) This requests individual details such as date of birth and NI number. You are not registered to vote until you have submitterd this information. You can also do this quickly online at
gov.uk/register-to-vote. Yo can also check here if you are on the electoral register already.
Every local council will act slightly differently and some are more rigourous about fining than others. You are required by law to complete your form each year showing anyone aged 16 and over who lives at the propery, but of course can't be forced to vote. There are exceptions - certain nationalities, empty or business properties, second homes and there are boxes on the form to tick if that is the case. There is the option to opt out of being on the open register which is a document that companies for example can buy for mailing out junk mail etc.
Every year people complain to councils when they struggle getting mortgages, mobile phone plans etc because it is used as proof that people live where they say they do. It is then pointed out (in a nice way of course!) that it is their own fault because they didn't complete the required form.

I didn't know you could pay a fine and not be registered. For some people who want to 'disappear', it might be worth paying the fine! Anyway if you live there, is there any reason why you don't want to register?

I don’t know the time limit before they throw a fine at you

I don't think there is a time limit as such but people must be given several chances to register before a fine is imposed. As like7 says, how likely you are to be fined depends on your LA.

I received this email too and wondered if it was a hoax? We bought the house, in question, at beginning of the year, but due to Covid, haven’t been able to move in as it needs work doing. A friend is renting it. He has registered there, for him. And I have registered, at my rental... yet this email arrived asking me to register at the 2nd house...

Jury duty is not “unpaid work”. It’s a critical social responsibility.