MSE News: EU vote registration deadline extended until Thursday night

It's not exactly as if the referendum has just sneaked-up.

Why were so many people leaving it to the final hour and forty-five minutes to register?????

I can't ever remember a time where I haven't been registered to vote, granted I'm under 30 but in that time I've moved house several times and always moved my electoral registration.

It just beggars belief, especially considering there was an election just over a year ago for the whole of the UK and other elections regionally in May of this year that so many people had failed to register until the final hour and forty-five minutes.

DigForVictory wrote: »

Those that chase votes by electronic means (& who communicate by electronic means) have to be prepared for it to go wrong sometimes.

I foresee all sorts of legal wranglings post vote over whether or not it was fair, representative etc.

I doubt the additional number who will register will have much of an impact unless it is a phenomenally tight race.

And there will still be people complaining that they need more time to register when it closes on Thursday.

liviboy wrote: »

It's not exactly as if the referendum has just sneaked-up.

Why were so many people leaving it to the final hour and forty-five minutes to register?????

I can't ever remember a time where I haven't been registered to vote, granted I'm under 30 but in that time I've moved house several times and always moved my electoral registration.

It just beggars belief, especially considering there was an election just over a year ago for the whole of the UK and other elections regionally in May of this year that so many people had failed to register until the final hour and forty-five minutes.

That's exactly what I've been thinking.

Sapphire wrote: »

It beggars belief. I smell a very large rat…

No need to smell much of a rat, at the general election only about 20% of late registrations ended up being new people on the electoral roll. Lots of people who were already on the toll applying again. So half a million late applications might mean just 100,000 new registrations. Similar late registration pattern that time as well, just a bit stronger this time, so uninspiring that the site couldn't cope.

Someone who tried to register but couldn't might face a lifetime of "I've been hard done by" resentment if the vote goes in a way different from the way they planned to vote. Worth a little consideration to help to prevent that.

If you want to try to undo the effect:

1. If in the exit group, offer to help locals who may need help and who are older to get to the polling station.
2. if in the remain in group try similar with students and other young people.
3. If you can control the weather, aim for snow or rain, as hard as possible, to decrease the turnout if you want an exit vote, since exit voters tend to be more committed to voting both by opinion and demographics.