Electoral Register: Northern Ireland

(asked on 19th June 2014) - View Source

Question

To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, with reference to the Answer of 12 May 2014, Official Report, columns 375-7W, on electoral register, what causes have been identified for the relatively low electoral registration rates in Northern Ireland.


Answered by
Gary Streeter Portrait
Gary Streeter
This question was answered on 26th June 2014

The Commission published a report in November 2012 on the electoral register in Northern Ireland. This found there had been a substantial drop in levels of registration since the previous assessment in 2007. This report can be found here: http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/152626/Continuous-electoral-registration-in-Northern-Ireland.pdf

The report suggested that the low level of completeness was mainly the result of the failure of the processes that had been employed to manage the register in Northern Ireland, under continuous registration, to keep pace with either population change or home movement. In particular, it identified the absence of a full household canvass as contributing to the drop in completeness.

Following the publication of findings for the April 2012 register, a household canvass was conducted in Northern Ireland in autumn 2013. After the canvass, the Commission reviewed the results and concluded that it had been well run and significantly improved the completeness of the register. The Commission's report can be found here: http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/166999/Report-on-the-Northern-Ireland-electoral-registration-canvass-2013.pdf

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