The way residents register to vote is changing from today.

The Individual Electoral Registration will require each member of a household to register to vote.

Under the old system, the 'head of household' could register everyone who lived at their address. 

Most people will be transferred to the new register automatically as their details will be matched against records held by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP). 

But new applicants to vote will need to register in order to ensure they form part of the IER Electoral Register.

They will have until December 2015 to register under the new system, so no current electors will be removed from the register before the 2015 Parliamentary election.