Completeness of electoral system must be improved say Lords Select Committee

Article summary

The House of Lords Select Committee on the Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013 (ERAA 2013) has published its post-legislative scrutiny report titled ‘An electoral system fit for today? More to be done’. The report warns that despite the ERAA 2013 improving the accuracy of the register, its completeness has not been improved, which risks missing millions of eligible voters from the voting register. This particularly affects under-registered groups such as young people, care home residents and people from BAME backgrounds, resulting in disenfranchisement and damage to electoral integrity. Key recommendations to improve the system include developing automatic and assisted registration, online registration checking tools to combat duplication, reviewing current administrative deadlines and tackling under-registration in those under-represented and hard to reach groups.