Shortfall In The Electoral Register

EDM number 675 in 1991-92, proposed by Harry Barnes on 13/02/1992.

That this House believes that the general election will be fought on a corrupted electoral register; is alarmed that Government figures reveal a dramatic shortfall in the franchise due mainly to the poll tax; notes that in England, Wales and Scotland there is a shortfall of 1.4 million people, excluding overseas visitors and others, on electoral registers compared to the Registrar General's 1990 estimates of that part of the population which falls within the voting age range; points out that Northern Ireland has not similarly suffered as it was the only part of the United Kingdom to escape the poll tax; urges the publication, constituency by constituency, of the figures for the registers which become operative from 16th February; recognises that democrats of all parties and none should be tremendously concerned that many hundreds of thousands of people are disenfranchised; believes that the Government has failed to heed warnings that the connection of the poll tax and the vote would lead to such a scandalous situation for democracy; and further recognises that the Government has spent more taxpayers' money on recruiting expatriate voters than on those who live here, refused to fund a high-profile publicity campaign to encourage registration whilst spending millions of taxpayers money on publicising privatisation and has denied the resources to hard pressed local councils to maximise the register.

This motion has been signed by a total of 34 MPs.