Dear Sir,
In the eleventh hour before the voter registration deadline, the gov.uk registration site experienced a crash. This incident nearly locked out numerous individuals wishing to register for the EU referendum, including young people who were planning to vote for the first time or who were inspired by the #TurnUp campaign and the TV debates.
It is evident that the root causes of this problem lie in the fact that Britain’s electoral registers are missing millions of people. In 2014 alone, there were 7.5 million missing voters, and the register has continued to shrink since then. The surge in demand from soon-to-be-registered voters overwhelmed the Government’s technical infrastructure during a critical time in the passionate debate about the future of Britain.
This issue could have been easily avoided. A report on the “Missing Millions” from the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Democratic Participation earlier this year presented proven solutions to maintain an up-to-date register throughout the year. Many democracies around the world use automatic registration to prevent last-minute administrative problems. This solution should be seriously considered in the United Kingdom.
The “Missing Millions” recommendations should be implemented without delay. We urge the Cabinet Office and Electoral Commission to lead this change.
Sincerely,
Dr Toby James (University of East Anglia)
Oliver Sidorczuk (Bite The Ballot)
Owen Thompson MP (SNP Co-Chair, APPG)
Lord Rennard (Lib Dem Co-Chair, APPG)
Caroline Lucas MP (Green Co-Chair, APPG)
Sir Peter Bottomley MP (Conservative Member, APPG)
Grahame Morris MP (Labour Member, APPG)
Tim Farron MP (Lib Dem)
Dr Alasdair McDonnell MP (SDLP)
Natalie Bennett
Gloria De Piero MP (Lab)
Clive Lewis MP (Lab)
Lord Wallace of Saltaire (Lib Dem)
Graham Allen MP (Lab)
Margaret Hodge MP (Lab)
Lord Wallace of Tankerness (Lib Dem)
Barry Sheerman MP (Lab)
Lord Wills (Lab)
Baroness Royall of Blaisdon (Lab)
Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green)
Lord German (Lib Dem)
Lord Prescott (Lab)
Baroness Brinton (Lib Dem)
Lord Tyler (Lib Dem)
Norman Lamb MP (Lib Dem)
Tommy Sheppard MP (SNP)
Baroness Andrews (Lab)
Nic Dakin MP (Lab)
Stephen Doughty MP (Lab)
David Lammy MP (Lab)
Margaret Ritchie MP (SDLP)
Lord Steel of Aikwood (Lib Dem)
Daniel Zeichner MP (Lab)
Madeleine Moon MP (Lab)
Tristram Hunt MP (Lab)
Kate Osamor MP (Lab)
Baroness Healy of Primrose Hill (Lab)
Helen Hayes MP (Lab)
Yasmin Qureshi MP (Lab)
Catherine West MP (Lab)
Paul Blomfield MP (Lab)
Geoffrey Robinson MP (Lab)
Jo Stevens MP (Lab)
Greg Mulholland MP (Lib Dem)
Lord Collins of Highbury (Lab)
Baroness Tonge (Independent Lib Dem)
Lord Warner
Hannah Bardell MP (SNP)
Baroness Barker (Lib Dem)
Baroness Sheehan (Lib Dem)
Baroness Hamwee (Lib Dem)
Baroness Uddin
Lord Storey (Lib Dem)
Lord Cameron of Dillington
Banoness Kramer (Lib Dem)
Geraint Davies MP (Lab Co-op)
Baroness Goudie (Lab)
Rachael Maskell MP (Lab)
Lord Scriven (Lib Dem)
Lord Shipley (Lib Dem)
Lord Paddick (Lib Dem)
Baroness Ludford (Lib Dem)
Baroness Warwick of Undercliffe (Lab)
Lord Stunell (Lib Dem)
Lord Foster of Bath (Lib Dem)
Baroness Crawley (Lab)
Lord Marks of Henley-on-Thames (Lib Dem)
Julie Cooper MP (Lab)
Ruth Cadbury MP (Lab)
Baroness Bonham-Carter of Yarnbury (Lib Dem)
Baroness Quin (Lab)
Lord Dholakia (Lib Dem)
Lord Wrigglesworth (Lib Dem)
Baroness Walmsley (Lib Dem)
Ian Lucas MP (Lab)
Michelle Thomson MP (SNP)
John McNally MP (SNP)
Llŷr Huws Gruffydd AM (Plaid)
Jenny Rathbone AM (Lab Co-op)
Dr David Lloyd AM (Plaid)
Vikki Howells AM (Lab)
Lee Waters AM (Lab Co-op)
Julie James AM (Lab)
Hannah Blythyn AM (Lab)
Jane Hutt AM (Lab)
Dear Sir,
I would like to make a request to the electoral authorities.
On June 23, I will be out for the day on a pre-arranged trip with friends. Is it possible for my polling station to remain open for a couple of extra hours so that I can vote when I return home?
Sincerely,
Dave Bassett
Liverpool
‘Cooled a long age’
Dear Sir,
In response to Jancis Robinson’s suggestion to refrigerate leftover red wine, I personally store mine in a leak-proof container in the freezer and continuously add to it.
This method provides a fantastic base for hot punch during the winter season.
Sincerely,
June Davey
Tarrant Monkton, Dorset
Why George Formby would have annoyed Jeeves
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