Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans his Department has to promote voter registration.

The general election in June 2017 was held on the basis of the largest ever electoral register at just under 47m people.

In December 2017, the Democratic Engagement Plan was published, setting out the Government’s commitment to encourage further democratic participation among a wide range of different groups. The plan also sets out how the government will undertake further research into the barriers that could be preventing individuals from applying to register to vote. Our overall aim is to ensure that the next scheduled general election in 2022 is the most inclusive ever.

Democratic engagement is a particularly salient issue in 2018 given it is the Suffrage Centenary. The Government is supporting a range of related activity and is also hosting the first ever National Democracy Week in July. Both the Suffrage Centenary celebrations and National Democracy Week are expected to encourage people from all backgrounds to participate in our democracy, particularly focusing on under-registered groups.