Low voter turnout is increasingly a problem in UK elections. Toby S. James, Paul Bernal and Ellen Berry argue that Automatic Voter Registration, directly enrolling on the electoral register those eligible to vote, or even Assisted Voter Registration, making it easier for voters to register when they have any other interaction with state bureaucracy, would mean millions more people could have their vote counted in elections.

Enjoying this post? Then sign up to our newsletter and receive a weekly roundup of all our articles.

Turnout at general elections is in long term decline. At the 2024 general election, only 52.8 per cent of the population over 18 (rather than registered voters) cast a ballot – a figure which has been declining at an alarming rate.

Surveys of poll workers show that people commonly arrive at polling stations but are turned away because they are missing from the electoral register.

There are many reasons why people do not vote in elections, but one central factor is that they are not even registered. There are an estimated 7 to 8 million people missing or incorrectly registered according to the Electoral Commission. Moreover, levels are chronically low for young people. Only 60 per cent of 18-19 year olds are correctly registered on the electoral roll. Only 16 per cent of 16-17 years, those expected to be enfranchised to vote at UK general elections. The number of people missing from the register has seen a dramatic long term rise, as Figure 1 shows. The introduction of individual electoral registration contributed towards this. 

Figure 1: Estimated number of people missing from the electoral register at UK general elections, 1945-2024. Source: authors based on data on voting age population and registered parliamentary electorate from International IDEA.

Surveys of poll workers show that people commonly arrive at polling stations but are turned away because they are missing from the electoral register. Based on responses from over 18,000 poll workers at the 2024 general election, four in five poll workers experienced at least one case – with some areas experiencing large numbers of people being turned away at the polls.

Automatic voter registration is the most effective way to improve the register.

The Government made a commitment in their manifesto that, “To encourage participation in our democracy, Labour will improve voter registration”. The government’s blueprint for modern digital government also sets out a vision to improve public services through the use of technology and improved data sharing between Government departments. Automatic voter registration is the most effective way to improve the register.

What is automatic voter registration?

Automatic Voter Registration (AVR) or “direct enrolment” would involve giving electoral registration officers the power to register electors when they have reliable and accurate information about them – without citizens having to act.

Alongside Automatic Voter Registration, assisted voter registration involves prompting citizens to register when accessing other government services. 

This approach is taken in many countries around the world. In the recent elections in Hamburg, Germany, for example, an electoral register was extracted from municipal sources shortly ahead of election and international observers noted that the polls ran exceptionally smoothly. An international study, which has looked at 159 counties, show that countries with AVR have both more accurate and complete electoral registers than those that do not. This means that more potential voters are on the register, at the correct address and with the correct information. 

Alongside AVR, assisted voter registration involves prompting citizens to register when accessing other government services. At the same time, steps should be undertaken to create a single centralised electoral register to maximise the benefits of data for political equality, government efficiency and public service.

How can automatic/direct voter registration be implemented?

In a new report, we set out how direct enrolment can be implemented. The government will need to bring new legislation forward to implement direct enrolment across the UK. It would need to give electoral registration officers (EROs)the power to register people without an application. Wales has already passed this – so there is legislative text which could be built upon. At present, EROs can remove electors, but not add new ones without an application.  

EROs already have access to data which is held locally (e.g. council tax and school admissions data) and this is used within the voter registration process for verifying existing applicants to the register. They can use this data to maintain existing registration and to remove people from the register – but not to add them.

They could therefore be given the powers to have access to an increased range of data sources (e.g. Department of Work and Pensions or Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency records and school registrations). This could come in the form of the ability to search existing government datasets to locate people who are missing from the register. 

Alongside AVR, Assisted Voter Registration would mean that people are prompted to register to vote when interacting with other government services. Millions of transactions are undertaken each year in which people, for example, enter their personal details to apply for a passport. Assisted voter registration could involve adding a tick box to the end of the passport form asking citizens whether they would like this information to also be sent to the Electoral Registration Officer. We have previously estimated that up to 6.5 million people per year could be added to the register when applying for a passport. Information could then be shared with an ERO and treated as an application. Assisted voter registration is a convenience measure for citizens, who may not otherwise register. It can therefore support a fuller AVR system, but on its own will not be likely to solve the full scale of the registration challenge.

Assisted voter registration could involve adding a tick box to the end of the passport form asking citizens whether they would like this information to also be sent to the Electoral Registration Officer.

The current system is very decentralised, with each ERO responsible for a separate electoral register for their Local Authority. There are therefore hundreds of local registers across the UK in need of separate maintenance. Introducing one single centralised registration system would make it easier for EROs to check for duplicate electors in the register. The system could contain one register for UK parliamentary elections; and one local government register for each of Scotland, Wales, England and Northern Ireland.  Each register would be connected using a unique electoral identifier for each person. This would make it easier to develop a look up tool to let potential voters know if they are already registered, and where. When voters move home, EROs would be better able to securely notify other EROs.

Votes at 16

With legislation expected to extend the franchise to 16-year-olds, this provides a critical opportunity to introduce direct enrolment for 16 years olds at the same time. Without direct enrolment, it is likely that many young people may be entitled to vote but are unable to do so because they are not registered.  Electoral officials may have to spend excessive and unnecessary resources chasing them to complete paperwork. Without reform to the system, the first experience for many newly enfranchised citizens might be being turned away at polling stations for not being registered. This could have a lasting effect on their trust and confidence in elections.

All articles posted on this blog give the views of the author(s), and not the position of LSE British Politics and Policy, nor of the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Image credit: Yau Ming Low in Shuterstock

Enjoyed this post? Then sign up to our newsletter and receive a weekly roundup of all our articles.