News releases

Electoral Commission welcomes the Government’s proposals to introduce Individual Electoral Registration and identifies areas for improvement

In its response to the Government’s White Paper the Electoral Commission has today welcomed the government’s plans to introduce Individual Electoral Registration (IER) and has identified areas where the proposals can be improved to ensure completeness of the electoral register is maintained.

The main principles the Electoral Commission considers vital in its response to the White Paper are that:

• IER is introduced in a way that ensures the accuracy and improves the security of electoral registers.
• There are safeguards set in place to diminish the risks of a reduction in the completeness of the electoral register.

The Commission believe this can be achieved and has put forward suggestions for changes for the Government’s proposals to ensure that happens. These include:

• The requirement by Government and Parliament for Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) to conduct a full household canvas in 2014 followed up by separate process of collecting identifying information from each elector identified as eligible in that canvas.
• The removal of the ‘opt out’ provision which would allow a person to respond to an invitation by indicating they do not wish to be contacted. Great Britain currently has a relatively high rate of electoral registration and the Commission would not wish to see any changes which have the potential to threaten that. We welcome the fact that both the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Political and Constitutional Reform have expressed sympathy with our concerns and have indicated their intention to look again at the ‘opt out’ provision.

“We support the introduction of Individual Electoral Registration which should improve the security of electoral registers and make individuals responsible for their own vote. We have long called for it and are pleased the Government are now taking it forward.

“The most important principle about IER is that it should be introduced in a way that ensures the accuracy and completeness of the electoral register is maintained. To help ensure that, we are recommending that the Government improve their proposals by reinstating an annual canvas in 2014. We are pleased that the Government has responded to our concerns and indicated it is minded to look again at the ‘opt-out’ provision. We look forward to seeing the legislation in due course and will continue to scrutinise the proposals to ensure our concerns are met.

"This is the most significant change to the way we register to vote since the introduction of the universal franchise in 1928 and it is important that it is implemented in a way which puts the voter first.”

The Commission also point out that electoral registers are used for purposes other than establishing someone’s right to vote. They form the basis for other important civic functions such as drawing constituency boundaries and selecting juries, which could lead to wider consequences if voters are allowed to ‘opt-out’ of the register year on year.

The Commission’s response also highlights the importance of consistent good service for voters in the implementation of IER. The Commission suggest that they should be given responsibility to intervene where necessary to ensure Electoral Registration Officers meet performance standards in areas such as the accessibility of registration forms, safe storage of personal data, and overall performance in keeping an accurate electoral roll. This oversight would ensure voters receive a consistently high quality service right across the country. The Commission will also monitor the resources available to EROs to ensure they have adequate funds tomanage the transition to IER. 

ENDS

For further information contact:
Press office on 0207 271 0704, out of office hours 0778 992 0414
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Notes to editors

1. The Electoral Commission is an independent body set up by the UK Parliament. Our aim is integrity and public confidence in the UK’s democratic process. We regulate party and election finance and set standards for well-run elections. 
2. The Electoral Commission’s response to the Government’s White Paper on Individual Electoral Registration is available on our website:
   http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/elections/voter-registration/individual-electoral-registration 
3. Electoral Registration: currently in Great Britain, the vast majority of electors register via the annual canvass, where a form is sent to the “head of household”. This person returns the form on behalf of everyone living in that accommodation. Registration by household was introduced in the 19th century. Great Britain is the only remaining Western democracy that still has a system of household registration.
4. The Electoral Commission has been calling for a move from household registration to individual registration in Great Britain since 2003.
   Our role in Individual Electoral Registration. As the independent expert body, we will:
   develop and deliver a programme of research to support scrutiny and assessment of the impact of these changes; 
   evaluate the government’s data matching schemes to assess the extent to which they improve the quality of the electoral register;
   support government, EROs and others to ensure that a clear and robust plan is developed for implementing individual registration;
   provide guidance and support to help electoral registration officers collect personal identifiers; and
   develop and coordinate a programme of public awareness activity to ensure electors understand what they need to do under the new registration system.
5. Further information on Individual Electoral Registration can be found on our website page: http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/elections/voter-registration/individual-electoral-registration