Register to vote by 20th April 2015

As a national advertising campaign is launched to encourage voter registration ahead of the General Election, Hyndburn Council is encouraging local people to visit www.gov.uk/register-to-vote.

On May 7 voters will go to the polls to elect a Member of Parliament for Hyndburn.

The Electoral Commission today launched its national voter registration campaign to remind people to register by April 20.

Jane Ellis, Electoral Registration Officer for Hyndburn, said, “Time is now running short to make sure you can take part in the elections, so I’d encourage everyone in Hyndburn to take action now if they aren’t registered to vote. Our message is simple: you can’t vote, if you aren’t registered by 20 April.  It’s easy to do and only takes a few minutes online at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote. If you’re not sure, please double check’.

Residents can check whether they’re registered to vote by calling 01254 388111.

Recent research conducted by YouGov for the Electoral Commission found that:

• 21% of people who rent privately think they’re automatically registered to vote if they pay council tax
• 40% of those surveyed think it is not possible to register to vote online in England, Scotland and Wales. 
• 69% do not know that the deadline to register to vote, with 13% thinking it is already too late to register.  When given a choice of five options only 32% correctly identified the deadline as 20 April.