Voting drive urged ahead of election

A MAJOR voting rights effort is needed to ensure millions of people are not left off the electoral register, a campaign group has said.

The Electoral Reform Society (ERS) warned that many people remain unregistered with only a week until the April 19 election registration deadline.

It comes as figures published by the Electoral Commission indicate 17 per cent of eligible voters in the UK are not registered at their current address, with an estimated 9.4m unable to vote.

The ERS has proposed a package of measures to update the system, with suggestions to allow voters to check whether they are registered to vote online, as well as registering people automatically.

The group also suggested trialling same-day registration, drawing boundaries on the basis of the total population of eligible voters, and scrapping plans to impose mandatory voter identification due to millions of people lacking photo ID in the UK.

Dr Jess Garland, the director of policy and research at the ERS, said: “With just a week to go until the registration deadline, we need a massive push from public bodies and civil society to ensure everyone is signed up and able to exercise their right to vote on May 6.

“Unfortunately, millions are likely to remain off the register, with many believing they were already signed up, or simply missing communications about the deadline.

“People often assume – quite fairly – that you shouldn’t have to opt in to your right to vote. Voting is a public good and we need to pull out all the stops to ensure the system is fit for purpose.”

A Cabinet Office spokesman confirmed there are no plans to introduce automatic voter registration.