Electoral Commission
Printable version

Electoral Commission statement on the move to Individual Electoral Registration

Commenting on figures released by the Labour Party about the 1 December registers, an Electoral Commission spokesperson said:

“It’s important as many people as possible are registered to vote before the elections in May. It has always been known that some areas with large student populations would initially see a fall in the number of students on their register and that extra effort would be needed to ensure as many as possible are on the register before the 20 April deadline.

“The figures published on 1 December were a snapshot of the registers at that stage and Electoral Registration Officers all have detailed plans in place to target areas with high student populations. This work will continue right up until the registration deadline.

“The Commission is supporting this activity by launching major online and TV advertising campaigns in February and March to encourage people to register to vote. We are also working with a range of partners that engage directly with young people to help ensure as many as possible are registered.”

The Commission has welcomed the extra funding recently announced by the Government to help EROs get as many people as possible registered. The ability for everyone, including students, to now register to vote online as made possible by the introduction of Individual Electoral Registration, is also a positive development.

Earlier this week the Commission, alongside partners like the NUS, the Association of Colleges and Universities UK, wrote to Vice Chancellors, principals and to academic leaders encouraging them to run voter registration drives on campus. For more information, visithttp://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/i-am-a/journalist/electoral-commission-media-centre/news-releases-campaigns/universities-and-colleges-asked-to-support-student-voter-registration-drive

The Commission will also be publishing a comprehensive report on the 1 December registers in February and a further report on the transition to Individual Electoral Registration in summer 2015.

Before the introduction of IER, the Commission published guidance and set performance standards for Electoral Registration Officers that identified students as a particular group to target during the transition.

For further information contact Karim Aziz in the Electoral Commission press office on 020 7271 0512 or kaziz@electoralcommission.org.uk
Out of office hours 07789 920 414

Notes to editors

  1. The Electoral Commission is an independent body set up by the UK Parliament. Our aim is integrity and public confidence in the UK’s democratic process. We regulate party and election finance and set standards for well-run elections and are responsible for the conduct and regulation of referendums held under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act (2000).

 

Channel website: https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk

Share this article

Latest News from
Electoral Commission

Free, Secure, Compliant UK Public Sector IT Recycling Service