How many people are prosecuted for failing to fill in electoral registration forms?
In amongst the debate over individual electoral registration, one question has been whether it should remain a legal obligation to complete registration forms sent out by the local council.
But how meaningful is the current legal obligation? Part of the answer to that has come in a recent Parliamentary Question, giving details of how many prosecutions have been commenced under the existing system:
2008 183
2009 67
2010 144
These data are collected by voluntary survey of electoral registration officers (EROs). The Electoral Commission does not have the power to collect this information and it is therefore not compulsory for EROs to complete the form.
However – I think non – registration and low turnout is a far more serious threat to our democracy, a far bigger current problem, than electoral fraud – which was the main emphasis of my Tory MPs reply to e after I supported the call to keep the annual canvass. There is no reason why we couldn't have a duplicate parallel process.