Comments on: Will poor registration affect the London race?

By: simon cooke

simon cooke — Thu, 01 May 2008 06:48:48 +0000

It isn’t a crime not to register, local councils have a duty to complete the register properly – the onus rests with the council. The failure here is systemic – Councils are as you put it ‘sitting back’ with the result that the registers are very poor. I would argue that 20%+ non-registration is maladministration and should result in action against the local authority.

By: Anthony Wells

Anthony Wells — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:03:35 +0000

Aren’t you a day early Stuart?

By: stuart gregory

stuart gregory — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 18:41:17 +0000

anyone seen any exit polling for the london elections yet.

By: Paul Smith

Paul Smith — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 17:39:19 +0000

simon

a move to individual registration would/should put a greater onus on local authorities to register people rather than just sending out a form to each household and sitting back waiting for them to come back

it would be a more expensive system but changing would come with the demand for greater resources to sort registration out.

Although it is a crime not to register (I think it may have changed) I am not aware of any one being fined for non registration.

By: simon cooke

simon cooke — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 13:58:19 +0000

Registration lasts for a full year – the fact of moving doesn’t negate the registration. The last set of electoral law changes introduced the idea of a ‘rolling register’ where changes to a register can take place throughout the year (in effect updated monthly).

Some local authorities make an effort to register new residents as they move in (after all they will be giving the Council details of their new residency for reasons of paying council tax etc.).