PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Electoral Register (23 November 2017)

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the Government plans to publish its findings and recommendations on consultation on access to elections, and what steps it is taking to ensure that no-one is disenfranchised in 2018 local elections in London.

Asked by:
Marsha De Cordova (Labour)

The Government launched the Call for Evidence on access to elections to support the Government’s commitment to make the electoral system fully accessible for all electors.

256 responses were received to the consultation which closed on 14 November. The Government, in partnership with the members of the Cabinet Office chaired Accessibility of Elections Working Group, which includes representatives from leading charities and key electoral stakeholders, will now review the evidence received and produce a report of key findings and recommendations. We plan to publish the report in Spring 2018.

A range of measures are in place that are intended to ensure that the electoral process is as accessible and user friendly as possible, for all types of electors and elections. We will soon lay draft legislation to improve the accessibility of the anonymous registration scheme for survivors of domestic violence, which I hope will be implemented in time for the 2018 local elections. We also recently implemented the findings of an accessibility review on the “Register to vote” website which will make it easier for people with disabilities to complete voter registration and participate in the democratic process.

Answered by:
Chris Skidmore (Conservative)
30 November 2017