EDDC plays its part in overhaul of voting register
East Devon District Council is among dozens of local authorities around the country gathering data that will bring the biggest change to voter registration in a generation.
The next step towards what the Government are calling “a voting system fit for the 21st century” starts this month as Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) begin to contact voters across the UK about changes to the electoral registration system.
Individual Electoral Registration (IER) will give people more control and ownership over the process and increase the accuracy of the register – with the new system able to verify that everyone on the register is who they say they are. This will ensure that there is greater trust in the legitimacy and fairness of our elections.
The change will get rid of the outdated ‘head of household’ registration system and places electoral registration in the hands of individuals. The public will be contacted by their local ERO to inform them of what, if anything, they need to do next.
To raise public awareness of the new system the Electoral Commission have launched a TV, online and billboard publicity campaign.
The process is supported by a new online system launched last month, which makes registering easier than ever. People can now register by simply providing their name, address, date of birth and National Insurance number in what is a secure, convenient, and modern way of register Electoral Commission ing to vote.
A spokesman for EDDC said: “In the past year, we have taken some steps to ‘cleanse’ our register prior to names and addresses being double checked with the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) database to minimise electoral fraud.
“Acting on Cabinet Office guidance, and in preparation for IER, we removed all ‘carry overs’ – that is to say every property where we had not received a completed electoral registration form for the previous two years.
“The upshot of taking some people off the register was a significant number of requests to go back on the list and we now have more up to date numbers. As of this week, our electorate stands at 100,531. We expect that to rise in the coming weeks.
“Under IER it will be up to each person to ensure they have a vote instead of all voters being listed by the head of the household. Once people are aware of the new system we will be double checking online and written applications before adding them to the register.
“Where there are gaps because people have not applied, we will be making personal visits to homes to ensure that we get as close to 100% coverage as we can.
“We are appointing 10 temporary personal canvassers during the transitional period 22 September-1 December to follow up on properties where residents fail to complete the IER forms.
“The transitional canvass starts on 4 August and is expected to add still more voters to the register”.
Mark Williams, EDDC’s Electoral Registration Officer, said: “We’re pleased to be playing our part in this major overhaul of voter registration. Not only is it a legal requirement for people to register to vote, but there are a number of benefits to having your name on the register. These include making it easier to apply for a credit card and even getting a mobile phone contract”.
Greg Clark, Minister of State at the Cabinet Office, said: “It is only right that in a country which has such a long and proud history of democratic participation, we ensure that we have an electoral registration system fit for the 21st century.
“These changes ensure that individuals register securely and enable them to register in the simplest possible way.
“Under the new system, around 80% of those already on the electoral register will be automatically added after their name and address is matched against existing government records. Those people who are not successfully matched may need to provide additional information to be registered, but thanks to the new online electoral registration system, this is now a quick and easy process that takes as little as three minutes”.
If you want to register to vote online visit www.gov.uk/register-to-vote
Or you can contact EDDC’s Electoral Registration Officer at www.eastdevon.gov.uk/elections
