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Responding to a House of Lords debate where a Government Order to bring forward the end to the move to Individual Electoral Registration (IER) from December 2016 to December 2015 was passed, Jenny Watson, Chair of the Electoral Commission, said:

“Now Parliament has approved the Government’s decision to bring forward the end of the transition to Individual Electoral Registration, our focus is on supporting Electoral Registration Officers to ensure as many people as possible are registered to vote before the important set of polls scheduled for May 2016. 

“We’ll also be running our own campaign to help anyone who might be affected, particularly students and people who have recently moved house. The ability to register online will be a big help in this.” 

Why did the Commission want the end to the transition to IER to remain December 2016?

The Commission had previously reported that the electoral registers used in May 2015 contained 1.9 million entries that were being retained under the transitional arrangements in place for the move to IER from the previous household system. 

It is anticipated that the annual canvass activity that’s currently being undertaken by Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) will significantly reduce this figure. However, taking this decision before the outcome of the annual canvass means the Government has acted without reliable information on how many redundant entries will be removed at the end of this year and how many eligible electors will need to re-register ahead of May 2016.

What will now happen?

The number of affected entries on the electoral registers will only be known when EROs publish their electoral registers by 1 December 2015.
EROs will continue to work up until the May 2016 polls to ensure their registers are as accurate and complete as possible and that any elector who may have been taken off the register as a result of this decision is contacted and encouraged to re-register.

The Commission will be launching a major public awareness campaign ahead of the May 2016 polls to support the work of EROs and to encourage as many people as possible to register to vote.

The 1 December registers will also be used to inform the upcoming review of Parliamentary boundaries. The reviews will be conducted by each of the respective Boundary Commissions across the UK. The Electoral Commission has no role in the creation of boundaries.

For further information contact:
Karim Aziz in the Electoral Commission press office on 020 7271 0704 orkaziz@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 referendum held under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act (2000).
2. Members of the House of Lords debated the Representation of the People, Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013 (Transitional Provisions) Order 2015.
3. For more information on the Electoral Commission’s analysis of the May 2015 registers, click here
4. May 2016 will see elections to the Scottish Parliament; the National Assembly for Wales; the Mayor of London and London Assembly; Police and Crime Commissioner elections across England and Wales; and local government elections in many areas of England.
5. Click on the different Boundary Commissions for more information about their work:Boundary Commission England; Boundary Commission Scotland; Boundary Commission Wales; Boundary Commission Northern Ireland