Hours left for 900k to sign up for right to vote

UP to 900,000 Scots could miss out on their chance to vote if they do not register by the deadline tonight, campaigners have warned.

People across the country are being encouraged to sign up before the cut-off amid growing fears the turnout for the General Election next month will slump.

Those who want to register online have until 11.59pm tonight.

For a postal vote, people must register before the deadline at 5pm tonight to ensure that they do not lose their chance to have their say.

Around one in five Scots normally votes by post, rather than going to a polling station.

There are concerns that an election in the middle of December could severely damage turnout because of the weather, limited daylight and proximity to Christmas.

The Electoral Commission has been running an awareness campaign to encourage people to conturnout sider postal voting. The watchdog’s initiative was backed by elderly care groups, student representatives and voting campaigners.

Turnout slumped to 66.4 per cent in Scotland in 2017 for the snap general election, compared with 71.1 per cent in 2015.

Heavy rain and the increasing number of major elections and referendums were blamed.

Willie Sullivan, senior director of the Electoral Reform Society, said: ‘Time is running out to register in time for this election.

‘I think there are between 600,000 and 900,000 people in Scotland who have not registered to vote.

‘These are young people, people who live in rented accommodation. The whole system is skewed to homeowners, richer people and older people who are much more influential when it comes to elections.

‘Snap elections make it different. It is more difficult because all the processes of the electoral commission are not in motion.

‘There would usually be a programme of canvassing or letters, but this has been curtailed.

‘So it is important that we make people aware they only have until midnight to sign up to vote.’

In 2017, the biggest decline in was in Dunbartonshire West, where it slumped by 8.7 percentage points.

Glasgow North East registered the worst turnout in the country, at only 53 per cent.

As well as encouraging people to sign up to vote, the Electoral Commission has urged Scots to consider postal voting.

Concerns have been raised that vulnerable groups – including the elderly – could struggle to get to a polling station on December 12.

Age Scotland raised particular fears around cold and icy weather. It is been distributing postal vote forms to older people’s groups ahead of the deadline tonight.

Andy O’Neill, head of the Electoral Commission in Scotland, said that with hundreds of thousands of Scots ‘not correctly registered it is important that you act today if you want to have your say’.

He added: ‘If you’re not registered by midnight tonight, you will not be able to vote on December 12.

‘Registering takes just five minutes and can can be done online at: gov. uk/registertovote.

‘So if you want to make sure your voice is heard, do it now.’

‘Make sure your voice is heard’