10 Oct 2008
Members of the Armed Forces are being reminded to make sure they register to vote this autumn through a joint campaign by the Electoral Commission and the Ministry of Defence.
Research has shown that service personnel are one of the groups that are least likely to be on the electoral register and therefore unable to cast their vote when it comes to election time. With two planned elections next year and the possibility of a General Election being called at any time, the campaign urges personnel to register now to make sure that they dont miss out on their right to vote.
During October and November, 4000 units in the armed forces, including those deployed on operations, will hold an electoral registration day when personnel in the unit will have the opportunity to find out about how to register to vote and register on the spot. The day will be a focal point of the information campaign which was launched in October with the mailing out of hundreds of thousands of registration forms to Service personnel.
Squadron Leader Sandy Burton, who is organising a Registration Day at the Ministry of Defences Main Building in Whitehall, says:
Registering to vote is quick and easy, but we recognise that our Services have very little spare time in which to get this done. That is why the Government introduced the option to register as a Service Voter that means our personnel only have to register every 3 years instead of annually. We hope the campaign will provide the opportunity for everyone in the forces to spend a few minutes of their day finding out about electoral registration and completing the form to secure their vote at election time. This will become even more important in light of the European Parliamentary Elections and the Local Elections that will be held next year.
Clinton Proud, Head of Campaigns and Public Information at the Electoral Commission says:
Our campaign is encouraging members of the armed forces to make sure they dont lose their chance to have their say. We are reminding people in the forces to make sure they can vote, by making sure their name is on the electoral register and by applying for a postal or proxy vote if they need one.
As some elections can occur at such short notice its best to make sure youre registered now.
Service personnel based in the UK can register in the same way as ordinary electors by filling in and returning the annual canvass form that will be coming through your door, while those who are based, or likely to be posted, abroad are advised to register as Service Voters.
More information about registering to vote and a downloadable registration form can be found at www.aboutmyvote.co.uk
/ends
For further information contact
Electoral Commission Press office: 0207 271 0704
Fax: 020 7271 0528
press@electoralcommission.org.uk
Notes to editors
- The Electoral Commission is an independent body set up by the UK Parliament. Our aim is integrity and public confidence in the UKs democratic process. We regulate party and election finance and set standards for well-run elections.
- Prior to 2000, service personnel had to register as service voters. The Representation of the People Act 2000 allowed members of the services either to register as service voters or to register in the same way as non-service personnel. Since 1 January 2007, as a result of the Electoral Administration Act, people registering as Service voters will only have to register every three years rather than every year.
