The Government must rethink the electoral system to address the ‘many weaknesses and contradictions’ within it, a new report has argued today.
The Association of Electoral Administrators (AEA) has made 33 recommendations following a review of this year’s local government and general elections.
The report calls for the creation of a single Electoral Registration Act, a review of electoral services funding and registration deadlines, and the simplification of electoral registration processes.
It also warns the Government should resolve the ‘legislative anomalies and omissions’ that have already been identified in the system.
‘We remain concerned that despite many of these issues being previously raised, very little tangible progress is being seen to address them,’ said the chief executive of the AEA, John Turner.
‘We therefore call once again on the Government to address our recommendations in a positive manner, to not shy away from the more difficult challenges and to demonstrate a greater sense of urgency in doing so than has been demonstrated in recent years.
‘The UK’s electoral system is already fractured and will fail without proper attention being given to addressing the problems.’