Electoral Registration

EDM number 237 in 1994-95, proposed by Harry Barnes on 09/12/1994.

That this House notes that the latest Office of Population Censuses and Surveys report on electoral statistics shows that there is an average of five per cent. of the eligible population missing from electoral registers in England and Wales; believes that this continuing and high level of voter under-registration, particularly in inner city areas and among the homeless and rootless, black people and youth, should be of urgent concern to democrats in all parties and none as it undermines the quality of Britain's parliamentary democracy; deplores, therefore, the Government's complacency on the issues as exemplified by the fact that the Home Office has still to publish its own review of electoral law and procedure, over two years after it was instituted, and the continuing lack of priority given to local and national publicity drives; further notes that Friday 16th December is the final deadline for people having their names included in the annual register of voters published in February; encourages those who wish to exercise their right to vote to register by this deadline; and further believes that reforming the voter registration system through the introduction of a rolling register so that people can register where they live, when they live there requiring extra resources for electoral registration officers, and giving greater local and national publicity and increased access by disabled people to polling stations and to voting will help to reverse the dramatic shortfall in electoral registration.

This motion has been signed by a total of 45 MPs.