Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) have the statutory responsibility for compiling and maintaining complete and accurate registers for their local areas. The Electoral Commission (EC) is responsible for providing guidance and resources to help EROs and their staff in running electoral registration, for setting standards, and for monitoring the performance of EROs. The Commission runs campaigns to raise awareness of how people can register to vote, and how to cast their vote.<\/p>
The Government ensures that EROs have the tools that they need to do their job efficiently. For example, changes to the annual canvass in Great Britain has provided EROs with greater flexibility to target their resources where they are needed, rather than on the majority of properties, where nothing has changed.<\/p>
The Government is committed to encouraging democratic engagement amongst all electors, including underrepresented groups. Since 2013, the Government has provided more than £27m to fund activities to promote electoral registration and democratic engagement more widely.<\/p>
Third-party organisations delivered events and activities during National Democracy Week (NDW), and the Government facilitated workshops with Democratic Engagement Champions in preparation for the week. The Government has no plans to run NDW in 2021. Instead, the Government will focus on its unique responsibilities as legislator, funder and promoter of good practice.<\/p>
<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1609", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Chloe Smith"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Norwich North"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Chloe Smith"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2021-03-23", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "groupedQuestionUIN" : [{"_value" : "171643"} , {"_value" : "171645"} , {"_value" : "171646"} , {"_value" : "171647"} ], "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2021-03-23T17:53:56.103Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "53"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Cabinet Office"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Cabinet Office"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2021-03-18", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Electoral Register: Ethnic Groups"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much funding has been allocated to improve voter registration levels among Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people since 2018.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4436", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Cat Smith"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Lancaster and Fleetwood"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Cat Smith"} ], "uin" : "171644"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1256529", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Cabinet Office"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1256529/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) have the statutory responsibility for maintaining complete and accurate registers for their areas. The Government\u2019s role is to ensure EROs have the tools they need to do their jobs efficiently and effectively. This includes, for example, the recent changes to the annual canvass in Great Britain which will improve its overall efficiency considerably which will allow EROs to focus their efforts on hard to reach groups, and play an important role in helping to maintain register accuracy and completeness.<\/p>
As it stands, National Insurance Number letters issued by HM Revenue and Customs state that you need your National Insurance Number to register to vote. Cabinet Office officials are in discussions with colleagues in HMRC regarding what further information could be included to help inform individuals about the registration process, and if it may be clarified.<\/p>
The Government is committed to making registration as easy as possible and we encourage everyone who is eligible to register to vote.<\/p>
Responsibility for the design of electoral registration forms, including the Invitation to Register form and all Canvass Communications lies with the Electoral Commission, with the Government providing final approval. The Electoral Commission undertakes extensive user testing of the forms to ensure they are as effective as possible at eliciting the appropriate response. Cabinet Office officials are regularly consulted by the Electoral Commission during the design stages of any new forms and also when changes are proposed to existing forms.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4200", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord True"} } , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Lord True"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2020-12-14", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "groupedQuestionUIN" : [{"_value" : "HL10905"} , {"_value" : "HL10906"} , {"_value" : "HL10908"} ], "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2020-12-14T17:49:05.137Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "53"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Cabinet Office"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Cabinet Office"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2020-11-30", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Electoral Register: Ethnic Groups"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to consult with (a) Operation Black Vote, and (b) representatives of communities under represented on electoral registers, about ways (1) to increase representation on the electoral register, (2) to encourage participation in elections, (3) to increase social mobility through the availability of credit to those on the electoral register, and (4) to help to make juries, drawn from the electoral register, more representative.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/2484", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Rennard"} } , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Lord Rennard"} ], "uin" : "HL10907"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1256799", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Cabinet Office"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1256799/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to PQs 114938<\/a>, 102161<\/a> and 104752<\/a>.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1609", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Chloe Smith"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Norwich North"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Chloe Smith"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2020-12-09", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "groupedQuestionUIN" : {"_value" : "122817"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2020-12-09T17:07:26.027Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "53"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Cabinet Office"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Cabinet Office"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2020-11-30", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Electoral Register: Ethnic Groups"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
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], "questionText" : "To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the report of the Joint Committee on Human Rights report entitled, Black people, racism and human rights, published on 11 November 2020, what plans she has to consult on the effect of the implementation of automatic voter registration on increasing democratic participation among Black people.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4515", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Kate Osamor"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Edmonton"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Kate Osamor"}
], "uin" : "122816"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1256800", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Cabinet Office"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1256800/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to PQs 114938<\/a>, 102161<\/a> and 104752<\/a>.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1609", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Chloe Smith"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Norwich North"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Chloe Smith"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2020-12-09", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "groupedQuestionUIN" : {"_value" : "122816"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2020-12-09T17:07:26.073Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "53"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Cabinet Office"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Cabinet Office"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2020-11-30", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Electoral Register: Ethnic Groups"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
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], "questionText" : "To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of automatic voter registration on voter turnout among (a) Black people and (b) other ethnic minorities.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4515", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Kate Osamor"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Edmonton"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Kate Osamor"}
], "uin" : "122817"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1251329", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Cabinet Office"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1251329/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " Electoral Registration Officers have statutory responsibility for maintaining complete and accurate electoral registers for their areas. The Government seeks to make registration as easy as possible and to work with many others to reduce any barriers to registration. We encourage everyone who is eligible to register to vote, and registering to vote has never been easier or more convenient.<\/p> The Government opposes automatic registration as it contradicts the principle that individuals are responsible for registering and that this should be done at a time and place of their choosing. Automatic registration would raise privacy and security concerns. It would also risk introducing errors and inaccuracies to the registers, creating unwarranted opportunities for fraud.<\/p> <\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1609", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Chloe Smith"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Norwich North"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Chloe Smith"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2020-11-17", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "groupedQuestionUIN" : {"_value" : "114939"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2020-11-17T17:08:32.007Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "53"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Cabinet Office"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Cabinet Office"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2020-11-12", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Electoral Register: Ethnic Groups"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to improve voting registration rates among black people in the UK.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4436", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Cat Smith"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Lancaster and Fleetwood"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Cat Smith"}
], "uin" : "114938"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1140978", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1140978/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " We know from our research of the electoral registers that voters from BME communities are less likely to be registered to vote when compared with white voters.<\/p> As part of all of its public awareness campaigns ahead of elections, the Electoral Commission provides voter registration resources to a wide range of groups or individuals, to use in encouraging registration. These are freely available via the Commission\u2019s website or its \u2018Roll Call\u2019 newsletter, to which anyone can subscribe.<\/p> We also identify specific organisations who could help promote registration to under-registered groups and actively provide these partners with resources: these have recently included, for example, the Council of African and Caribbean Churches and the Muslim Women\u2019s network. It also works closely with Electoral Registration Officers, who hold many important relationships with church and community leaders to promote voter registration at a local level.<\/p> The Commission most recently contacted Operation Black Vote ahead of the Government\u2019s voter ID pilots which took place in May 2019, to seek a contribution to its statutory evaluation of the pilots. It did not receive a response.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4046", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Bridget Phillipson"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Houghton and Sunderland South"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Bridget Phillipson"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-08-05", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-08-05T10:30:44.993Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "36"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2019-07-22", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Electoral Register: Ethnic Groups"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the hon. Member for Houghton and Sunderland South, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what recent discussions the Commission has had with (a) church and community leaders from black and minority ethnic communities and (b) Operation Black Vote on increasing registration levels for voters in those communities.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/534", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Chris Ruane"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Vale of Clwyd"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Chris Ruane"}
], "uin" : "280158"}
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}