1 in 4 black and Asian voters are not registered to vote, warns the Electoral Commission
18 Nov 2019 02:58 PM
One in four black and Asian people are not registered to vote, according to the Electoral Commission, as it calls on the public to register to vote by Tuesday 26 November ahead of December’s general election.
The Commission’s data says that 25 per cent of black voters in Great Britain are not registered. It also says that 24 per cent of Asian voters and almost a third (31 per cent) of eligible people with mixed ethnicity are not yet registered, compared to a 17 per cent average across the population.
Anyone wanting to vote in the election on Thursday 12 December 2019 must register by Thursday 26 November. Registration is quick and easy and can be done online at www.gov.uk/registertovote (Opens in new window). Anyone who won’t be able to get to their polling station on 12 December can arrange either a postal or proxy vote.
Craig Westwood, Director of Communications, Policy and Research at the Electoral Commission, said:
Everyone eligible to vote should be able to do so, but must be registered by Tuesday 26 November.
It only takes five minutes to register to vote online – time that you might otherwise spend waiting for the kettle to boil or for a bus to arrive. So if you want to make sure your voice is heard, go online and register now.
For more information contact the Electoral Commission press office.
Notes to Editors
- Figures are based on the accuracy and completeness of the electoral registers in Great Britain report published in September 2019.
- The Commission estimates that between 8.3 million and 9.4 million eligible voters in Great Britain are not correctly registered at their current address. It is not possible to calculate the absolute number of people not correctly registered at their current address because the size of the population eligible to vote in Great Britain cannot be determined with certainty. The calculation is, therefore, based on an estimate of completeness and an estimate of the total eligible population. More information can be found in the Commission’s report.
- To vote in this general election a person must be registered to vote, 18 years or over on polling day and also be either a UK or Irish citizen or a qualifying Commonwealth citizen resident in the UK.
- The deadline to register for a postal vote is 5pm on 26 November in England, Scotland and Wales, and 5pm on 21 November in Northern Ireland.
- The Electoral Commission is the independent body which oversees elections and regulates political finance in the UK. We work to promote public confidence in the democratic process and ensure its integrity by:
- enabling the delivery of free and fair elections and referendums, focusing on the needs of electors and addressing the changing environment to ensure every vote remains secure and accessible
- regulating political finance – taking proactive steps to increase transparency, ensure compliance and pursue breaches
- using our expertise to make and advocate for changes to our democracy, aiming to improve fairness, transparency and efficiency
- The Commission was set up in 2000 and reports to the UK and Scottish parliaments.