In this year's Hansard Society audit of political engagement, only 30 per cent of those surveyed agreed that they can change the way the UK is run by getting involved in politics at a national level. A survey published last week by the Committee for Standards in Public Life has shown that public confidence in MPs has fallen from 46 per cent to 26 per cent. The Government's response to these indicators of political disconnect is its White Paper that could have very damaging consequences for the state of democracy in Britain.
The Government claims it has two objectives in bringing forward its White Paper on individual voter registration; to improve the completeness of the electoral register and to prevent fraud. Laudable goals that Labour committed to pursue. The current system is open to abuse and it is right that we address shortcomings.
However, the mask is slipping on the Government's hidden agenda. The Individual Voter Registration White Paper contains two deeply disturbing proposals that will further disengagement with the political process and disenfranchise people.
First, the proposal to offer an 'opt out' from the Electoral Register- whereby people can choose not to be on the register- will inevitably lead to a further reduction in completeness of the register, not an increase, as the Government claims is its objective. Jenny Watson, Chair of the Electoral Commission, warned last week that this proposal, which the Commission will object to, could logically lead to a reduction in completeness from the current level of 90%, to as low as 60%.
Second, the White Paper plans for the 2014 electoral canvass- the process for alerting people to their absence from the register- lack clarity and seem to suggest that its scope be limited to mailings. This would remove the obligation on Electoral Registration Officers to coordinate follow up visits to properties from which no response has been received.
During this transition period of moving to the IVR system, I fear that the 2014 electoral canvass, as proposed, will fail to reach a) those reaching 18 years old during the transition and b) those that have moved house during the transition. The consequence for this would be people being disenfranchised from participating in a General Election in 2015.
This all, of course, has implications for the 2015 Boundary Review. Estimates suggest that at least 3 million eligible voters are missing from the current register. The White Paper will make this worse with even fewer young people, private tenants and ethnic minorities likely to register. If implemented this will reduce dramatically the number of inner city parliamentary constituencies.
The implications of this White Paper could be devastating for participation in the democratic process and further disconnect politics from ordinary working people. The Government must think again and come clean on its intentions.