Polling station:

Make sure you are registered to vote

Households on the Isle of Wight should have this week received a letter from the Isle of Wight council stating which members are registered to vote in the 2015 Election.

If your name is not on the list, you’ll need to make sure you’re register in order to vote in the General Election in May.

Stewart Blackmore, Labour prospective parliamentary candidate (PPC) for the Isle of Wight says,

“It is already the case that, according to the Electoral Commission, 7.5million eligible voters are absent from the register – the equivalent of ten cities the size of Sheffield.

“Labour’s own recent analysis showed that a further one million have fallen off in the past 12 months. The Electoral Commission’s own work shows that 4.5 million are at risk of dropping off in total over the next 18 months as we move to the new system of Individual Elector Registration (IER).

“Those most likely to drop off include students, young people, private renters, and Black Asian Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities.

“It is very important that as many people register for their individual right to vote – especially so as the next election could be one of the most closely fought in living memory

“However you vote – please ensure that you are registered. It is your right!”

Visit http://bitetheballot.co.uk/ for more information.

Image: Secret London 2013 under CC BY 2.0