Electoral Registration and Administration Bill — Clause 1 — Individual Voter Registration — Ministerial Guidance — 18 Jun 2012 at 17:15

The majority of MPs voted for electoral registration officers to be required to have regard to ministerial guidance on the operation of individual voter registration for five years rather than, as alternatively proposed, until the Electoral Commission believes the new system is operating effectively.

MPs were considering the Electoral Registration and Administration Bill^[1]. The amendment rejected in this vote was:

• Amendment 2, page 2, line 8, at end add
• ‘if the Electoral Commission believes that the new electoral system is operating effectively’.

Had the amendment not been rejected the above text would have been added to the end of Clause 1^[2] of the Bill which provided for an amendment to the Representation of the People Act 1983 to introduce the new system of Individual Voter Registration.

The provisions included a requirement for registration officers to have regard to any guidance given by the Minister about the circumstances in which an individual must be added to the electoral register. A provision that the requirement to have regard to ministerial guidance was to cease to have effect 5 years after it came into force was included. The rejected amendment sought to add a condition to this meaning ministerial would retain its status until the Electoral Commission believes that the new individual voter registration system is operating effectively

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• [1] Parliament's webpage on the Electoral Registration and Administration Bill (now an Act)
• [2] Clause 1 of the Electoral Registration and Administration Bill as at the time of the vote

Debate in Parliament | Source |