Electoral Registration and Administration Bill — Second Reading — 23 May 2012 at 18:59

The majority of MPs voted in favour of individual voter registration and other changes to electoral registration and the administration of elections.

MPs were voting on the Electoral Registration and Administration Bill at its second reading. Those voting in favour were expressing support for the key principles of the Bill and for it to continue its path towards becoming law.

The key areas of the Bill include:

• Introducing individual voter registration.
• Extending the electoral timetable for UK Parliamentary elections from 17 to 25 working days
• Allowing Police Community Support Officers ("PCSOs") to enter polling stations (as police constables already could)
• Removing the automatic postponement of parish and community council elections in England and Wales that occurred when a Parliamentary or European Parliamentary general election fell on the ordinary day for local government elections.

In the programme for Government the Government committed to an individual electoral registration system that would: "Reduce electoral fraud by speeding up the implementation of individual voter registration."

• [1] Parliament's webpage on the Electoral Registration and Administration Bill (Now the Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013)
• [2] Explanatory notes to the Electoral Registration and Administration Bill as brought from the House of Commons on 28th June 2012

Debate in Parliament | Source |