London's Missing Voters!

31 March, 2016

London’s Missing Voters

Recent changes in voter registration laws mean that many voters in the capital have been removed from the electoral register... In fact, over 329,000 people (almost 6% of all voters in London!) have been frozen off the register, meaning that we now face a battle to re-register all citizens in time for the voter registration deadline on 18^th April 2016! Read on to find out how this is affecting the people in your local community…

How is My Borough Affected?

The highest drop off in terms of percentage is seen in Hackney, where 14% of voters (equal to 27,500 citizens!) have been removed from the electoral register. Across the capital there were also major drop offs in Redbridge, East London, where 12% of voters disappeared, in Lambeth where 11% disappeared, and finally in Wandsworth, where this figure was 9%.

We believe democracy only works when it works for everyone, yet the figures above illustrate how hundreds of thousands of London are being Frozen Out of our democracy!

Why is the Drop off Higher in Some Boroughs?

There are a number of reasons why some people are more likely to have been removed from the electoral register, as changes to electoral law directly affect some groups more than others. For example, many private renters who frequently move from place to place are far more likely to be affected. These frequent movers mainly include young people and those communities suffering from gentrification. In both instances, people are moving regularly between rented accommodation, sometimes over borough borders, meaning that their details are lost. Another group also likely to be affected are students, as they may not have heard about either the changes or the need to re-register.

What Can I Do?

We need to get as many people onto the electoral register as possible to ensure that our democracy is serving the needs of everyone in society, not just those that are regular voters! We have teamed up with HOPE not hate to launch Don’t Get Frozen Out, a campaign encouraging Londoners to register to vote ahead of the Mayoral Election! Democracy only works when it works for everyone, and together we can help to shape the future of London.

Here’s how you can help!

1) Register to vote at https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote!

2) Share this blog post with any friends or family that you think may not be on the register, or who live in the worst affected boroughs.

3) Sign up for campaign updates below and take a stand for our democracy today!