The Electoral Office will be updating Northern Ireland’s electoral register this year, ahead of the 2022 Assembly election. The plans have prompted opposition from Sinn Féin, while other parties have accused Sinn Féin of spreading fake news. So, what is actually happening, and should we be worried about people losing their vote?

The electoral register is a vital part of a functioning democracy. It ensures that only those who have registered to vote may cast a ballot, and in Northern Ireland photographic ID is also required to vote. 

The recent fallout from the US Presidential election should stand as evidence to tell us just how important it is that our electoral process is fair and that everyone who wants to vote is able to vote – and only vote once.

What is this year’s electoral canvass? Is it unusual?

The electoral canvass will take place between July and November 2021, a period of around four months. The process involves essentially deleting the entire register and then refilling it. This means that everyone currently on the register will need to register again along with those who have never been on the electoral register at all. Everyone will be sent information in the mail instructing us how to register, either by post or online. The Chief Electoral Officer Virginia McVea has confirmed that this canvass will not involve door-to-door registration. 

Registration campaigns are common leading up to an election cycle, but this is on a much larger scale. The last canvass occurred in 2013, which led to the number of registered voters in Northern Ireland declining by 60,000. Sinn Féin has highlighted this in their opposition to this canvass taking place. 

Without context it sounds scandalous that 60,000 voters may be taken off the register. However, it is important to keep the official roll up to date. Many of the voters removed in the last audit had either passed away or had left Northern Ireland. It is likely that the upcoming canvass will have a similar result. It also provides a chance for newly eligible voters to be added to the register. 

The Electoral Office has defended the decision to move ahead with the canvass because it is required by law, but also to ensure the register is as accurate as possible. It is estimated that one in four adults in Northern Ireland are registered incorrectly, such as at the wrong address. It is important that people are registered at the correct address because this not only effects the constituency you can vote in and candidates you can vote for, but also the actual polling station and ballot box in which you must cast your vote. 

The main argument for updating the register is, of course, to avoid electoral fraud. There were claims of electoral fraud in Foyle in 2017; some people turned up at their polling station only to be told that they had already voted.

Party reactions

One reason behind Sinn Féin’s criticism of the Electoral Office plans is the decision to update the register during a pandemic, when door-to-door registration and in-person clinics cannot be held. The Electoral Office has stated that the canvass was due to take place last year and has already been delayed due to the pandemic. It has also said they will contact houses with information and reminders to register during the four-month period, adding that the process only takes five minutes. 

While no clinics are currently planned, assuming that Northern Ireland’s exit from lockdown mirrors Boris Johnson’s timeline for England, in-person clinics may end up being possible during the canvass period. Plus, it is also worth noting that the next election is not until May 2022, which means there is a little bit more time to be registered in time for the Assembly election.

For now, UUP leader Steve Aiken has accused Sinn Féin of spreading “fake news” over their claims that many voters could be disenfranchised, while the DUP has called for social media platforms to take action on misinformation. Naomi Long of the Alliance Party has called Sinn Fein’s attitude “inflammatory nonsense.”

Still, there are also calls to make the registration process more efficient, helping to keep the electoral register more up to date on a rolling basis. One SDLP councillor has suggested that a person’s electoral registration should be tied to their national insurance number. It is important to note this solution still makes it impossible for someone to opt out of being on the register. These kind of changes would be worth considering. But there’s not enough time to implement them ahead of next year’s Assembly election. 

If we are to avoid any US-style doubts over the integrity of our elections, it is vital that all efforts are made to ensure that our elections are fair, safe and free of accusations of fraud. Plus, if the 2021 Census is able to go ahead and if sufficient mitigations are put in place, the arguments in favour of the electoral canvass outweigh the arguments against.

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