ONE IN four black voters is not registered to vote, according to the Electoral Commission, as it launches a voter registration campaign ahead of May’s local elections
The ‘Got 5?’ campaign encourages people to take five minutes to register to vote online as well as targeting young people and students.
The campaign focuses on recent home movers and private renters, who are also less likely to be registered to vote.
The Electoral Commission estimates that 24% of black voters in the UK are not registered. It also estimates that 20% of Asian voters aren’t registered to vote, whilst nearly a quarter (23%) of electors with mixed ethnicity are not yet registered. This compares to 16% average across the population, who are not registered.
Craig Westwood, Director of Communications & Research at the Electoral Commission, said: “Almost 250 local authorities in England are holding elections in May so it’s vital people register before the 12 April deadline. We are encouraging people to register and have their say on important local issues.
“It only takes five minutes to register to vote online - time that you might otherwise spend waiting for the kettle to boil or for a bus to arrive. So if you want to make sure your voice is heard go online and register now.”
People can find out if they have elections in their area on the Commission’s Your Vote Matters website. Local government elections select councillors, who are responsible for making decisions on running services in your local area.
To vote in local council elections a person must be registered to vote, 18 years or over on polling day and also be one of the following:
- A British citizen, a qualifying Commonwealth citizen, or a citizen of the EU
- Resident in the UK
- Not be subject to any legal incapacity to vote
Elections are taking place in 249 local authorities across England on Thursday 2 May 2019. Anyone who is not yet registered must do so by Friday 12 April in order to vote in elections in their local area.
If you have recently moved house and have not changed or updated your details, you will need to register to vote at www.gov.uk/registertovote [2].
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