Newcastle's Lost Votes
Newcastle, like many student cities across Britain, was affected negatively by the change in the system of voter registration. In an article in The Guardian on the 31st of January, around 800,000 students have dropped off the electoral register since the government introduced changes to the system, with students in university towns at highest risk of being disenfranchised.
The adoption of the ‘Individual Electoral Registration’ (IER) by the government in 2011 was initially seen as a move to bring the political registration process in line with technological developments. While sensible in theory, the implementation of the system left many confused and unable to understand exactly how one would apply for a system that replaced a decade-old system.
Newcastle was a particularly notable victim. In an FOI filed by the ‘Hope not Hate’ foundation to the City Council, it was found that 20% of Newcastle’s population would find themselves disenfranchised as a result of the new registration policy. In turn, nearly 1,500 voters registered in the North Jesmond and South Jesmon wards were removed from the electoral register on December 1st.
Overall, one in 10 Jesmond voters who had the ability to vote in May’s local elections were no longer be eligible to cast a ballot as of December 1st.
The reduction in voters is down to a change in the way residents register to vote. The Individual Electoral Registration (IER) system requires every member of each household to individually register to remain on the electoral roll. Previously one person in a household could register all those living in a property.
In the face of opposition, the government has ended the transition period for the IER system one year earlier than originally planned.
The Electoral Reform Society has warned that nationwide, nearly 2m voters could lose their place on the electoral register in a few weeks time, while a vote in the House of Lords late last month failed to stymie the implementation of the quicker introduction, with 246 voting in favour of a postponement while 257 voted against.
North and South Jesmond have the largest number of unregistered voters across Newcastle who will drop off records in three weeks time: 802 and 695 people respectively. 1,497 Jesmond residents are at the risk of being dropped off the electoral register.
A high percentage of these voters unregistered on the new IER system are the elderly, and students unaware of the new system’s imminent deadline. Former South Jesmond councillor David Hardman said “when we talk to students they generally feel that they are here for less than a year and don’t feel that they have a right to vote.”
The total number of registered voters eligible to vote in North Jesmond in May 2015 was 7,668; 10% of voters will drop off the electoral register on December 1st, based on the figures released by the council on September 4th.
In South Jesmond, 6,974 voters were registered on the electoral roll before May’s local elections. A tenth of potential voters will likewise lose their place on the voting register, based on council figures.
“We find that many students are registered at their family home and do not register at their term time address, either because they see no benefit or because it is a lower priority than the other things that they do.”
Jesmond’s voters do not necessarily turn out to vote, even if they are registered. In May, 55% of eligible South Jesmond voters, and 58% of North Jesmond voters, actually returned a ballot. Across Newcastle turnout was higher, with two in every three eligible voters choosing to exercise their right to vote.
One student resident told us that she would be unlikely to register on the new system. “I didn’t even know I could register here and at home,” she said. “I feel like if the new system is complicated and different to the old one, I don’t have time for that kind of hassle with all my uni work as well.”
Another elderly resident, Janine, told us “I have never understood voter registration. I don’t think enough is being done to highlight the changes that are taking place.”
Last week, Newcastle University sent out an email correspondence encouraging students to register. The email said: “Newcastle University encourages all eligible students to register to vote. You are entitled to be registered at home and your University address. At local council elections you can vote in both as well.”
The voter turnout in Jesmond as well as other student wards like Heaton and Fenham, however, were low, with only 10% of the students that were registered, casted their vote.
Collective efforts are the only way of ensuring that students see the process of voting in local elections, a worthwhile one. Despite many students residing in these districts for only a year or two, theit interaction with local councils can only better their relationship with their surroundings.
