16 Sep 2008
More than a third of all 18-24 year-olds in Northern Ireland are robbing themselves of their right to vote by failing to add their names to the electoral register.
A report published by the Electoral Commission shows that while the electoral register in Northern Ireland is largely accurate, much more work needs to be done to encourage registration amongst certain key groups, specifically young people and those that have recently moved home.
The Electoral Commission said its extensive research shows that at the end of December last year, the electoral register was 94 percent accurate and included 83 percent of all eligible voters within Northern Ireland.
However, it found that inclusion on the electoral register was lower among younger age groups, in particular those aged between 18 and 24, where an estimated 34 percent had failed to provide their details. This was in sharp contrast to older people: only 4 percent aged 65 and over were not included.
The Commission report said the most likely cause of the gap in the data was people failing to update of their new details after moving home within Northern Ireland.
Séamus Magee, Head of the Electoral Commission’s Office in Northern Ireland, welcomed the report: “While the report’s findings are generally encouraging, it also highlights a number of challenges to delivering and maintaining a robust electoral register.
“The Commission has undertaken a number of major public awareness campaigns to encourage all those people who are eligible to register to vote to do so. We have particularly targeted those groups that research has indicated less likely to register to vote, including young people and home-movers.
“The major challenge to maintaining an accurate and comprehensive electoral register is population movement. The Electoral Commission is ready to face this challenge to ensure that all eligible voters are given every opportunity to get on the electoral register.
Recent legislation passed by Parliament has also given the Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland the power to request information from school principals on eligible pupils within their school. The Chief Electoral Officer is confident that this new power will help to increase the number of young people on the register.
The report is available to download from www.electoralcommission.org.uk/northern-ireland
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For more information contact
David Cullen or Chris Brown on 028 90 347 319
Email electoralcommission@webershandwick.com
Out of office hours and on weekends, please call 07770 886 927 / 911.
Notes to editors
1. The Electoral Commission is an independent body set up by the UK Parliament. Its aim is integrity and public confidence in the UK’s democratic process. It regulates party and election finance and set standards for well-run elections
2. A corporate objective of the Commission is complete and accurate electoral registers, supported by a well-run electoral registration
3. The comprehensiveness measures the extent of non-registration amongst the eligible electorate and the accuracy measures whether the information held would be sufficient to allow a person to vote at their local polling station
4. The December 2007 register was the first to be compiled since the introduction of continuous registration. Under this system eligible voters are required to register once and only re-register if their details change.
5. Earlier this year over 1000 addresses across all 18 parliamentary constituencies were surveyed. Individuals were asked a number of questions to ascertain if the information held on the electoral register was accurate.
