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How to promote voter registration at citizenship ceremonies
Since 1 January 2004, all new UK citizens must attend a citizenship ceremony, run by local authorities. Although not all authorities run citizenship ceremonies some are handled by the Shire county, or one authority may run all the ceremonies for neighbouring authorities its a good idea to get in contact with the registrar at your council to see if you can promote voter registration at these events. Here are some ideas:
- A citizenship ceremony usually begins with an introduction and welcome, sometimes from a local dignitary, highlighting the importance of taking part in the local community. You could ask the speaker to stress the importance of registration, putting it at the heart of the citizens role from the beginning.
- New citizens are individually presented with a citizenship pack. These could include a generic electoral registration form and information about the electoral process. We produce a special leaflet explaining registration for new citizens.
- Liaise with the registrars to ensure a smooth registration process and provide quality control.
- In England, county councils may run combined citizenship ceremonies for district councils in the area. You will need to coordinate to make sure voter registration forms are sent to the correct electoral services department.
- Where possible, you could attend the ceremony to collect voter registration forms or else provide a box for people to post them in on the day.
Estimated timeline: Two hours preparation for each ceremony and a morning/afternoon for attending the ceremony, if possible.
Estimated budget:Minimal, just travel costs and time. You may want to produce special registration forms which you can easily identify to track how many people register to vote at the ceremonies, code the forms, or use our registration forms for new citizens.
How to promote voter registration at citizenship ceremonies
Since 1 January 2004, all new UK citizens must attend a citizenship ceremony, run by local authorities. Although not all authorities run citizenship ceremonies some are handled by the Shire county, or one authority may run all the ceremonies for neighbouring authorities its a good idea to get in contact with the registrar at your council to see if you can promote voter registration at these events. Here are some ideas:
- A citizenship ceremony usually begins with an introduction and welcome, sometimes from a local dignitary, highlighting the importance of taking part in the local community. You could ask the speaker to stress the importance of registration, putting it at the heart of the citizens role from the beginning.
- New citizens are individually presented with a citizenship pack. These could include a generic electoral registration form and information about the electoral process. We produce a special leaflet explaining registration for new citizens.
- Liaise with the registrars to ensure a smooth registration process and provide quality control.
- In England, county councils may run combined citizenship ceremonies for district councils in the area. You will need to coordinate to make sure voter registration forms are sent to the correct electoral services department.
- Where possible, you could attend the ceremony to collect voter registration forms or else provide a box for people to post them in on the day.
Estimated timeline: Two hours preparation for each ceremony and a morning/afternoon for attending the ceremony, if possible.
Estimated budget:Minimal, just travel costs and time. You may want to produce special registration forms which you can easily identify to track how many people register to vote at the ceremonies, code the forms, or use our registration forms for new citizens.
