Annual canvass

Every year the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) has a legal duty to contact all households in Southwark to:

• make sure all eligible residents are correctly registered at each address
• make sure the electoral register is accurate and up to date
• confirm where there is no change needed to details about an address

This is called the Annual Canvass.

We use the information we receive to update the electoral register by:

• inviting unregistered residents to apply to register
• removing the names of people who no longer live at each property

Updates from the canvass are included in the new register published on 1 December and will be used for any elections held during 2026.

Next election

The next scheduled elections are Southwark Council elections taking place on Thursday 7 May 2026.