Campaigners are warning of a ‘registration time bomb’, as new research shows the proportion of school leavers on the electoral roll dropped by over a quarter between 2013 and 2016.
The figures cover the time when Individual Electoral Registration (IER) was introduced in 2014, which saw a shift from a single person registering everyone in the household on their behalf, to each voter having to register individually.
This move improved the accuracy of the register, but it led to what the Electoral Reform Society (ERS) — who compiled the research — described as a ‘significant fall’ in the number of young people on the electoral roll.
The ERS believes this was the result of universities no longer being able to register students automatically, and parents/guardians no longer registering children on their behalf.
Of the nations which introduced IER in 2014, Scotland has seen the biggest drop in the number of ‘attainers’ (16 and 17 year olds on the register), at 35%, followed by Wales (27%) and England (25%).
Many of the areas which have seen the biggest drop have large black & minority ethnic communities – such as Hackney and Bethnal Green and Bow in London – suggesting school leavers from already marginalised groups have not re-registered since parents/guardians stopped signing them up.
‘These findings should sound the alarm to young people across the country that they need to register to vote if they want to have their say on June 8th,’ said ERS chief executive Katie Ghose.
‘There is a real risk that this election could be one where the registration time bomb goes off – leaving hundreds of thousands without a voice.
‘The collapse in the number of 16 and 17 year olds on the register in 2016 is a warning sign to anyone who cares about political engagement and young people’s stake in our democracy.
‘With just a week to go to register in time for the General Election, it’s vital that the new generation of potential voters – people who may have fallen off the electoral roll since the registration system was changed – sign up before it’s too late.’
