Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Electoral fraud: Opposition peers set to join forces and block moves to delete nearly 2m names from electoral register

Government plans to move from household registration to people adding their names individually in order to vote

Nigel Morris
Deputy Political Editor
Monday 26 October 2015 18:42 GMT
Comments
Critics of the switch to the new system - in which people not re-registered on the electoral register will drop off the list - say it will disenfranchise around 1.9m registered voters
Critics of the switch to the new system - in which people not re-registered on the electoral register will drop off the list - say it will disenfranchise around 1.9m registered voters (Getty)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Opposition peers are set to join forces in an attempt to block moves to delete nearly 2m names from the electoral register in five weeks’ time.

The Government argues that the planned move from household registration to people adding their names individually will combat electoral fraud.

It has brought forward by a year the date for the switch to the new system, meaning that people who have not re-registered by December 1 will drop off the list.

It said it wanted the new electronic register in place for next year’s Scottish, Welsh and local elections.

But critics claim the move will disenfranchise around 1.9m registered voters, with ethnic minorities, students and people renting their homes among the groups hardest hit.

The Liberal Democrat peer Lord Tyler will lead an attempt to delay the switch to its original date at the end of 2016.

He said: “This is Tory gerrymandering at its worst and a cynical attempt to manipulate the electoral system in their favour.”

The move has also been condemned by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, while the Electoral Commission has said ministers acted “without reliable information” and should wait another year.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in