Up to 3,500 in Dartford are a risk of losing their vote due to new Government legislation.
Dartford Labour Leader, Cllr Jonathon Hawkes, responding to the news that the Government plans to bring forward by 12 months the full implementation of Individual Electoral Registration (IER) to the 1 December 2015; commented: “Changes to the electoral system coming into force on 1st December mean that around one million people across the country will be taken off the electoral register this year, including approximately 3,500 people in Dartford.
Many people may find they have lost their vote as you must now register as an individual, not as a household. The Tories have rushed through changes to the electoral registration system, which risks causing the biggest disenfranchisement in our history.
You can make sure you’re not one of the missing million from our electoral register by registering to vote at gov.uk/register-to-vote. It only takes three minutes and don’t forget, if you don’t register to vote, you might end up with an £80 fine. Soon we have a big choice to make about whether Britain stays in the EU. But if people aren’t on the electoral register, they will not be able to vote and have their say.
No one wants to see fewer people vote in elections. The Government should be doing all it can to encourage people to vote – not pushing through changes that make it less likely that they will take part.
With more than 18,000 new members joining the Labour Party since the General Election, it shows that people are not apathetic. It is therefore worrying people could have lost their vote without realising. It is important that everyone in Dartford registers to vote. It’s quick and easy – you can register in just three minutes by going to gov.uk/register-to-vote.”