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   Page last updated at 12:32 GMT, Wednesday, 15 September 2010 13:32 UK

Individual electoral registration

   Mark Harper

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   Cabinet Office Minister Mark Harper has announced that British citizens
   will be asked to register individually to vote from 2014.

   In a statement to the Commons on 15 September 2010 he said it was time
   to end the current system whereby one person from each household is
   responsible for submitting the names of all those eligible to vote in
   their property.

   Household registration relies on the assumption that the electoral roll
   lists eligible voters only but has come under criticism recently due to
   its vulnerability to fraud.

   Supporters of individual registration argue it strengthens engagement
   with the voting process.

   The Political Parties and Elections Act 2009 made provision for
   changing to individual registration and the Coalition Agreement
   includes a commitment to speed up the process.

   Individuals would register using "personal identifiers" such as date of
   birth and signature.

   Individual registration replaced household registration in Northern
   Ireland in 2002.

   A draft Bill on the measure will be introduced in 2010/11 for
   pre-legislative scrutiny, followed by a Bill to introduce individual
   registration from 2014.

   Replying for the government Shadow Justice Secretary Jack Straw said
   the announcement was being made for "purely party political reasons",
   and warned that the Northern Ireland experiment led to a drop in
   registrations.

   Labour's Fiona MacTaggart and Conservative Philip Hollobone both
   criticised Mr Harper for saying that people would not be "forced" to
   register.

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