7.9 million eligible voters for EU elections not registered

Best for Britain has launched a national campaign to encourage those who are eligible to vote in the upcoming EU elections, but are not currently on the electoral roll, to register before the deadline.

The pro-remain campaign commissioned research into the area and found that 7.9 million eligible voters are not on the electoral roll in their local area. The research shows that figures are particularly large among EU citizens, private renters and young people.

Commenting on the analysis, Caroline Lucas, former leader of the Green Party, highlighted that nearly eight million people ‘could be at risk of losing the right to have their voice heard at such a crucial juncture for the country’s future’.

Matt Singh, of Number Cruncher Politics, who undertook the analysis, said: “Because electoral registers contain many inaccuracies, far fewer people are registered to vote than it might appear from their size. This, in turn, means that millions of those eligible to vote are not registered to do so. This group differs from the eligible population as a whole - notably being younger, and likelier to be private renters - than the average.”

The deadline to register for the EU election is midnight on 7 May 2019.