The move to IER also means that each elector’s details must be verified, tightening up the application process and removing the possibility of fraudulent or redundant entries appearing on the register.
Anyone who was registered to vote before December 2014 was carried over on to the new register but the law now requires anyone who has not registered under the new scheme to be removed.
The update has seen the number of electors in Cambridge drop by 10,104 from the 1 December 2014 register. In common with other local authorities that have large universities, many of these will be students who have left the city but some may be people who do not realise the system has changed.
The city council’s electoral services team has been working with the Universities, their student unions and 6th form colleges to engage and register students and young people.
Antoinette Jackson, Chief Executive and Electoral Registration Officer for Cambridge City Council said: “We have done a lot of work over the last year to encourage and promote voter registration, especially among students. The publication of the register is a snapshot of where the register currently stands and our engagement work will continue into 2016 and beyond.
“It is vital that residents of Cambridge have a say in how local services are provided. Registering to vote and putting your cross on a ballot paper is an effective way to make a difference.”
In May 2016 there will be elections for 14 of the 42 seats on Cambridge City Council as well as for Cambridgeshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner. The deadline for registering to vote in these elections will be Monday 18 April 2016, so there is still plenty of time to register.
You can register online at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote or visit our webpages for more information www.cambridge.gov.uk/elections. Alternatively you can call 01223 457048 or email elections@cambridge.gov.uk.
- Individual Electoral Registration (IER) was introduced in June 2014.
- IER requires electors’ details to be verified before they are added to the register and applicants must provide their date of birth and national insurance number or other proof of their identity.
- The updated electorate for Cambridge is 81,128, down from 91,232 in December 2014.
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Contacts:
Antoinette Jackson, Chief Executive and Electoral Registration Officer
antoinette.jackson@cambridge.gov.uk, tel: 01223 45700
Vicky Breading, Electoral Services Manager
vicky.breading@cambridge.gov.uk, tel; 01223 457057