The Staggers

The New Statesman’s rolling politics blog

How 10 million UK voters could be lost

Reform to voter registration could have a far more wide-ranging effect than the boundary changes.

By Samira Shackle Published 16 September 2011 10:06

The head of the Electoral Commission has called it the biggest change to voting since the introduction of universal franchise. Boundary changes? No. While Westminster and the media have focused on proposed changes to constituencies, another reform could have an even more profound effect, allowing as many as 10 million voters -- predominantly poor, young, and likely to vote Labour -- to fall off the electoral register entirely.

The government wants to introduce individual voter registration rather than household registration, before the 2015 election. Essentially, this makes it an act of choice rather than civic duty to engage with the political system. This is compounded by ministers' surprise proposal that it should no longer be compulsory to co-operate with electoral registration officers when they compiling the register. Refusing to comply is currently an offence which can carry a fine of up to £1,000.

There are several obvious problems. There are clear incentives for people not to register, as the electoral roll is used for jury service and to tackle credit card fraud. But more importantly, it is difficult to see any justification for further removing already disenfranchised communities from the political process.

According to the Guardian, which appears to be the only paper to report this story today, MPs on the political and constitutional reform select committee have been interviewing experts this week about the implications, and are "genuinely shocked" at their findings.

The testimony of experts simply follows steps of logic, so it is difficult to see why the MPs are so surprised. Jenny Russell, the chair of the Electoral Commission, explained:

"It is logical to suggest that those that do not vote in elections will not see the point of registering to vote and it is possible that the register may therefore go from a 90 per cent completeness that we currently have to 60-65 per cent."

It is highly likely that this will vary greatly between areas. John Stewart, chairman of the electoral registration officers, predicts that the drop-off will be around 10 per cent in "the leafy shires", but 30 per cent in inner city areas.

This means that the fall-off will be disproportionately focused on the young, the poor, and ethnic minorities. This could have significant political impact, as all of these groups are more likely to vote Labour when they do vote. The greatest effect will be in 2020, as the boundaries for that election will be based on the voluntary individual register compiled in 2015. If 30 per cent of voters in inner city Labour areas have disappeared, the Boundary Commission will have to reduce these seats, because its sole objective is to equalise the size of the electorate -- the number of registered voters, not the number of people -- ignoring natural borders.

However, these party-political concerns should be secondary to the profound implications this could have for democracy in the UK. Already, 3 million people eligible to vote do not register, despite the fact that co-operation with electoral officers is compulsory. Huge swathes of our society are already disenfranchised, as this summer's riots painfully showed. This is not the time to compound that disconnect.

Tags: Electoral Reform

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24 comments

Sat, 2011-09-17 09:00 — Luddite (not verified)

Fergus Pickering "then why not make voting compulsory"

Why not give voters something worth voting for?

Sat, 2011-09-17 09:23 — swatantra nandanwar

Good point. Make voting compulsory, with a fixed penalty fine of £100. Also provide box for 'None of the Above'
Who said Democracy was easy. You have to work at democracy, not expect it to be delivered to you on a plate.

Sat, 2011-09-17 10:15 — Stuart Eels (not verified)

tutti frutti

Its only an erosion of democracy when people weho wish to vote aren't allowed to. If these people are too bone idle to register on the Electoral Roll thats their problem.

If this "10 million" really care about democracy they will register. I don't think its some clever trick to con Labour voters. Its reform.

Sat, 2011-09-17 11:52 — Eddy S (not verified)

@swatantra nandanwar. i totally agree.

Sat, 2011-09-17 12:44 — Fergus Pickering (not verified)

Of course I don't want to make voting compulsory. It's you lefties always want to MAKE people do things. You have no feel for freedom at all. It's 1984 all over again.

Fri, 2011-09-16 10:36 — Nathaniel Myers (not verified)

This is possibly the worst thing this government is doing. Not only are they killing our society (which, in all fairness, IS a matter of opinion and debate), they are now trying to introduce something that's going to weaken our democracy. Our voting system is bad enough, but introducing individual voter registration is just plain old stupid.

I'm sure the reasoning is that, this way, only people who are interested and partially knowledgeable about the political process will engage in it, thus resulting in a better standard of result at the end. Of course, such thinking is ridiculous. We should be increasing awareness of politics, not engaging in a democratic race to the bottom until we accomplish Plato's vision. Fuck the Tories.

Fri, 2011-09-16 10:52 — Lynda Davies (not verified)

Oh how I agree with you Nathaniel it is dreadful to see how the Tories are destroying everything that has made this country Great in the past. For what? to get a definite majority next time around. This will come back and bite them as the riots are more likely to increase when people realise they have less and less say over the parties. We must use the social network to fight this and make sure EVERYONE is eligible to vote next time around as the opposite is also true more voters registered means a change in the boundaries - again

Fri, 2011-09-16 11:04 — mike cobley (not verified)

Then clearly this is intended to disenfranchise sectors of the electorate. And Clegg should be ashamed to be associated with it. Well, he should be lots of things but shame just doesnt figure any more.

Fri, 2011-09-16 11:06 — Abie Vee (not verified)

No taxation without representation. The proposed fracture of the social contract is an appalling prospect. Should ten million citizens become disenfranchised (voluntarily or otherwise) then they cease to be bound by society's laws and moral obligations. Dark days ahead indeed.

Fri, 2011-09-16 11:23 — swatantra nandanwar

I sometimes wonder how Britain ever progressed into the C21 if we have articles like this. Change happens and usally its for the better.
We want a better educated electorate, a more engaged electorate, which means that sometimes they have to actually do something and get of their backsides and occasionaly register once a year occassionly stroll down to the polling station once a year. Its not too much to ask, surely. If they can't be bothered, after all the hectoring and reminding from the EC the Council their employers their Party their Unions their neighbours their family, then frankly they deserve the Govt they end up with.
This cradle to the grave nonsense has to be hit on the head. For once let them do something off their own bat.
I regret to say that its my Party's supporters that are the worst offenders.

Fri, 2011-09-16 12:19 — Mizar (not verified)

@swatantra - you are just talking about yourself. You are able and willing to register, and vote. The concern is about those who are unable, unwilling, and don't vote. A sliding decline in the list and those voting is a dangerous development, and needs to be treated seriously. Flippant comments from @swatantra is getting nowhere.

Fri, 2011-09-16 13:02 — Luddite (not verified)

According to the Guardian. Mmmm!! It's not this fictitious 10 million lost voters that should worry Labour, it's the 6 million blue collar workers that stopped voting Labour.

Fri, 2011-09-16 13:36 — tuttifrutti (not verified)

Well said Nathaniel Myers.
As for swatantra I fail to see how this will create a 'more engaged' electorate and I can't help but wonder what the consequences may be of creating even more disenfranchised, especially among the poorer and young who may have little stake in society anyway.
This is a disgrace.

Fri, 2011-09-16 13:39 — A. Cole (not verified)

Brilliant!

The Tories must also:

1. Limit trade union donations to 10k.
2. Push for Scottish and Welsh independence.

THEN Labour will be well and truly SCREWED and we will enter a era of Tory hegemony!!

Fri, 2011-09-16 16:17 — Luddite (not verified)

A.Cole: Labour started it!! ENGLISH independence what a fantastic concept.

Huge swathes of our society are already disenfranchised, as this summer's riots painfully showed. This is not the time to compound that disconnect. So when did criminal become disenfranchised? The political-left are failing on all political issues.

Fri, 2011-09-16 14:39 — Paul (not verified)

Words just about fail me. Every week I become more shocked at what this government is doing. There is something deeply wrong with the way government is allowed to function when this move can be carried out so easily.

Fri, 2011-09-16 15:07 — Stuart Eels (not verified)

Oh come on, get off your high horses, swatantra nandanwar's comments are absolutely right. Every General election finds more and more not bothering to vote. They don't have to stroll down to the polling station even, all they have to do is ring the local Council Electoral Office and ask for a registration form to be sent, it's even post free to send it back. If these people can't be bothered that's their problem.

Paul

Were words just about failing you with the illegal war in Iraq or the co-operation between Labour and Gadafi or the pressure from Labour on the Scotish Adminstration to send the dying bomber back to Libya.

The comments on here are ridiculous, I'm not even a Tory supporter, yet I find them laughable!

Mizar - those who are unable, unwilling and don't vote. Did you think before writing that one?

Pateroo - why haven't they voted before, according to you they would have voted Labour and Gordon would still be in power!

Fri, 2011-09-16 15:19 — tuttifrutti (not verified)

Stuart Eels
If you can't get on your high horse over democracy I don't know when you can. This isn't even a party issue at its basic it is about a serious erosion of democracy in my opinion.

Fri, 2011-09-16 11:22 — Pateroo (not verified)

Maybe all 10 million would vote labour and maybe they wouldn't who knows, but what is sure is that given the amount of apathy for the political process the system needs to change. I would make it compulsory to vote for everyone over the age of 18 living in the UK. I understand that people might fight that and say “but it’s my choice not to vote” but I think that's what spoiling a ballot is about - or perhaps a box with "none of the above" if you are not enthused by the political choice on offer. If its made compulsory, perhaps the younger generation would engage with the process a lot more which can only be good for the country in the long term.

I write this as someone who lives on a canal barge and who, for some strange reason, can pay income tax etc but because I don’t pay council tax is not allowed to vote.

Thu, 2011-09-22 12:07 — Enfranchise (not verified)

swatantra nandanwar - Yes, you can vote. Appply to your LA for a declaration of local connection vote. C/Tax has nothing do with it.

Northern Ireland had a 40% drop off when they introduced this - Proof that the powers that be do know what they are doing.

Fri, 2011-09-16 20:26 — Mohammed (not verified)

Well, I for one welcome the plans to make voter registration optional. I have spent the last 30 years avoiding both the census snoopers and the nosy electoral registration officers and believe that in a 'free' country participation in the political process should be purely voluntary.

Electoral registration has some very negative personal consequences - ID theft, the sale of your details to credit agencies and advertising brokers, the creation of tracking databases like 192.com and of course liability to jury service in Britain's dysfunctional legal system.

Moreover, why should anyone who believes that the deeply flawed political system is past redemption and who has no intention of ever voting for the thieves, fakers and political confidence tricksters that comprise the country's political class, be expected to register to vote? The higher the proportion of the population who opt out of this corrupt and obsolete system, the less legitimacy it has. Britain needs democracy, but won't get it while so many millions of sheep going on voting for a flawed and system that exists primarily to keep the yes men of the three major political parties in a style to which they have become accustomed.

If masses of people don't want to participate in our incompetent and non-responsive 'democracy', then fine - let the current political party system whither on the vine and die. Good riddance to it; it is not worth saving.

Fri, 2011-09-16 20:42 — Lox (not verified)

If people want to participate in political life, then they should register to vote. Otherwise they choose to disenfranchise themselves.
Sorry, but I don't see the problem with this.

What's your alternative to parliamentary democracy, Mohammed?

Fri, 2011-09-16 20:46 — kenelm (not verified)

Mohammed, fine words but not to any good result. If the list is a problem, stop publishing it. But please don't say there is no point in voting - lives have been spent in pursuit of this. The low quality of politicians is an issue we all have to address, but NOT by opting out.

Sat, 2011-09-17 00:27 — Fergus Pickering (not verified)

So let me get this straight. People who do not register to vote (because, presumably, they do not want to vote) are disenfranchised. If you really think this is so, then why not make voting compulsory, as it is in Australia?