We need a registration revolution in the UK, to ensure that everyone can use their democratic right. And there is plenty that can be done.
We want to see the government working closely with electoral registration officers, charities, campaigners, regulators and others to ensure every last step is taken to maximise voter registration in the UK. And we need moves towards automatic voter registration so that whenever you are in contact with the government you can sign up.
What’s the issue?
Moving house is a big deal and registering to vote can often be a low priority. Many people may only realise they didn’t get around to registering at election time, when it is already too late.
Analysis by the Electoral Reform Society has revealed that an estimated 8.2 million eligible voters are missing from the electoral register in England, Scotland and Wales.
Automatic Voter Registration (AVR)
This process is when voters are automatically entered onto the electoral roll, rather than having to opt-in. Automatic Voter Registration makes life simpler for everyone – taking the burden off voters and would improve the accuracy and completeness of the register.
This process is already used in many countries around the world, including Sweden, Germany and South Korea.
Government Statement on a new Elections Bill
On the 17th July 2025, the democracy minister set out to parliament the changes the government plans to make in the forthcoming elections bill.
These include their intention to trial automatic registraiton.
Impact on boundaries
The number of registered electors has been used to decide the size of constituencies since 1940. However, over time, the gap between those registered and the total population of eligible electors has increased.
The parliamentary electoral registers were only 86% complete in 2022.
Why does it matter? Unrepresentative electoral registers will lead to unrepresentative constituencies. Urban and socially deprived areas where registration rates are low are likely to have fewer MPs per person than affluent areas where registration is high.
We always see a surge of people registering to vote in the run-up to an election, why not take them into account when designing the boundaries?
There are other ways we can improve rates of registration such as:
- Same-day Registration so you can sign up on election day. After all, the heat of an election campaign is when people get most interested in politics.
- An online look-up service to find out if you are registered.
- Drawing boundaries on the basis of the total population of eligible voters – rather than just those who are already signed up.