Voter Registration

Lord Cormack Excerpts

Thursday 12th May 2016 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen]

Indeed; that is why, as I said, we are making huge efforts and have given quite a few grants to organisations that we feel are the best people to engage with those under-registered groups. They are working in universities, schools and online to try to get particularly the young interested in registering in time for the EU referendum.

[Lord Cormack (Con)]

My Lords, perhaps I may raise once again an issue that I have raised many times: is there not now a case for compulsory registration?

[Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen]

No, we really do not feel that there is. We live in a free, democratic society and it is up to everybody to make the decision on whether or not they want to register. All we can do is to give them the option to register and make it as easy as possible for them to do so. That is why it now takes only three minutes to register online. I think that that is the best way for us to go forward.