The Cabinet Office has this week released preliminary results from a data-matching ‘dry run’ of the switchover to the new Individual Electoral Registration (IER), which show that approximately 78 percent of voters won’t have to do anything to remain on the electoral roll. IER will replace the Household Electoral Registration (HER) system in 2015 and will require that each person in a household register their details, rather than one person doing it for everyone in the household, which is the current approach. It is hoped that the new voting system will make it safer and simpler to register, as HER had been vulnerable to fraud and errors. With the introduction of IER, it will also be the first time individuals can register online. The government hopes that this will bring electoral registration into the “modern age”, where some people are currently getting lost in the system, such as those in shared housing and students.
“A lot of hard work and professionalism by local authorities, from chief executives through to electoral officers and administrators, has gone into making sure the switch to Individual Electoral Registration goes smoothly, and we can see that it is really starting to pay off,” said Chloe Smith, minister for political and constitutional reform.
“The switchover next year is a big change involving almost everybody in the country, and the Cabinet Office is determined to ensure we have the systems in place and the support available for local authorities to deliver a secure and efficient electoral registration system.”
Full Article: Test of new electoral system shows 78% of voters will be automatically registered ( – Government ).