Fine for not registering to vote

8:20am Thursday 24th May 2012 in Bromley © Press Association

Fine for not registering to vote Fine for not registering to vote

People who fail to register to vote will face fines, the Government has said.

The civil penalty will be included in a shake-up of the voting system designed to combat fraud and stop would-be electors losing the chance to cast their vote.

Ministers are planning to introduce individual electoral registration (IER), which would see individuals sign up to cast their vote rather than the current system which relies on the head of a household filling in a form stating the number of voters in a property.

Earlier, the Government scrapped plans which would have made failing to register a criminal offence.

Opening the Commons second reading debate of the Electoral Registration and Administration Bill, constitutional reform minister Mark Harper said: "We didn't think it appropriate to criminalise people who simply didn't register to vote.

"After careful consideration with key stakeholders and listening to members of this House we do think it is appropriate to create a civil penalty, akin to parking fine, for individuals who, after being required to make an application by a certain date, have failed to do so."

The fines were unveiled as part of the IER system the Government hopes will crack down on incidences of voter fraud.

Ministers abandoned criminalising failing to register to vote, but will give local authorities' registration officers powers to levy fines.

Mr Harper said: "The Bill provides that after the registration officer has followed any specified steps and the individual hasn't made an application, then he can require them to make an application, and if at that stage they fail to do so he can impose a civil penalty.

"The intention is that only those who refuse repeatedly can be fined.

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"We don't think it's particularly helpful to democracy if we start fining hundreds of thousands of people."

Do you think fining people is a good idea? Have your say below.

Comments(37)

PaulErith says...
8:21am Thu 24 May 12

Good, I think voting should be compulsory.

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Virtual-Monster says...
8:41am Thu 24 May 12

Choosing not to vote is as much a democratic right as choosing who you vote for. Lets be honest, the current crop of politicians (both local and national) all seem to have their snouts in the trough of public funds and don't appear to be doing anything to improve and develop our once great country.

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MsChevious says...
9:29am Thu 24 May 12

I agree Virtual-Monster - people have every right to not vote. However, there is a difference between engaging in the democratic process and finding out about the candidates & issues THEN making a positive decision not to vote and the widespread apathy whereby many don't pay any attention whatsoever.

By all means spoil your ballot paper, but if you can't be bothered to get involved in the process by which our voices are heard (and I don't for one second think it's a good process the way it's currently set up) then you can't expect to be able to change it.

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Andy Rr says...
9:52am Thu 24 May 12

What is the point of voting anyway? the main 3 partys are as everyone now knows to be the same party with 3 different names.......they backtrack once elected on their promises and treat the public with complete contempt! you only ever see them when there is an election on and the majority are only in politics for what they can obtain personally.......as seen in the expenses scandal where the majority were claiming for stuff they ought not to have been!

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the wall says...
10:08am Thu 24 May 12

Andy Rr wrote:
What is the point of voting anyway? the main 3 partys are as everyone now knows to be the same party with 3 different names.......they backtrack once elected on their promises and treat the public with complete contempt! you only ever see them when there is an election on and the majority are only in politics for what they can obtain personally.......as seen in the expenses scandal where the majority were claiming for stuff they ought not to have been!
You disrespecting maggot. Just think of the millions of people that have lost their lifes so you can even say something like that.


Non of the above should be added to the ballot.

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bobbi beauty says...
10:19am Thu 24 May 12

the wall wrote:
Andy Rr wrote: What is the point of voting anyway? the main 3 partys are as everyone now knows to be the same party with 3 different names.......they backtrack once elected on their promises and treat the public with complete contempt! you only ever see them when there is an election on and the majority are only in politics for what they can obtain personally.......as seen in the expenses scandal where the majority were claiming for stuff they ought not to have been!
You disrespecting maggot. Just think of the millions of people that have lost their lifes so you can even say something like that. Non of the above should be added to the ballot.
nothing wrong with those comments at all andy

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Banbury Joe says...
10:33am Thu 24 May 12

How dare this wall character try to dictate how people think!

My relatives gave their lives for this country so we have freedom to criticise any coalition Govt or any party who need criticising!

Get off your high horse and accept other views other than your own nasty biased views!

This bunch of politicians need reminding that we the electorate are watching their every move and will come down on them like a ton of bricks through every available channel to criticise their actions if they get it wrong! Go figure!

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goldenbroomboy says...
10:54am Thu 24 May 12

This is not primarily about voting,it is about registering people for council tax.

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the wall says...
10:55am Thu 24 May 12

I just knew I could get the BNP fanbois out and dancing.

Come on then tell us all about the results the BNP had in the last election.

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Jeeepsie Joe says...
11:02am Thu 24 May 12

BNP= Loosers !! ROFL.



I agree with goldenbroomboy it's all about getting more council tax.

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j.j. says...
12:42pm Thu 24 May 12

I think this is the right thing to do. You need only look at Tower Hamlets to realise that a single ehtnic group in a single party can manipulate the system to their advantage. That is not how democracy is intended to work. The law will probably also have the added benefit of making it easier to detect benefit fraundsters and council tax dodgers.

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Malachai says...
1:15pm Thu 24 May 12

Voting should be made compulsory providing they drag the voting system into the new world and setup an online voting method. The public could register and be sent unique codes in the post for each vote. the current system is antiquated in today's modern age.

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Jonsey115 says...
1:20pm Thu 24 May 12

I agree, this is not about voting, more registering to vote which I agree with.

Not quite sure where people people losing their lives so you can have an opinion is relevant to this story though ?!

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PaulErith says...
1:25pm Thu 24 May 12

Andy Rr wrote:
What is the point of voting anyway? the main 3 partys are as everyone now knows to be the same party with 3 different names.......they backtrack once elected on their promises and treat the public with complete contempt! you only ever see them when there is an election on and the majority are only in politics for what they can obtain personally.......as seen in the expenses scandal where the majority were claiming for stuff they ought not to have been!
I agree with that most of the parties don't align to my views. However, as 'the wall' says, 'None of the Above' should also be an option. We live in a democratic country which is something that millions of others in various countries would (and do) die for. Therefore, we should respect that by at least turning up at the ballot box.

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Jonsey115 says...
1:30pm Thu 24 May 12

None of the above and "forcing" people to vote is a nice sentiment but never going to happen.

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Eagles_Man says...
1:39pm Thu 24 May 12

IER I'm happy with, but what has fining non-registrants going to tackle voter fraud in Tower Hamlets? They're proposing fines for not registering - not fines for registering non-existent people - which is already an offence anyway.

It *is* a moral duty to vote - but it's not up to the state to enforce such things - whether via criminal or civil penalties.

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j.j. says...
5:27pm Thu 24 May 12

Eagles_Man wrote:
IER I'm happy with, but what has fining non-registrants going to tackle voter fraud in Tower Hamlets? They're proposing fines for not registering - not fines for registering non-existent people - which is already an offence anyway. It *is* a moral duty to vote - but it's not up to the state to enforce such things - whether via criminal or civil penalties.
The point is that IER should make it impossible for people to register bogus voters supposedly living in their home (as happened in Tower Hamlets and probably in some other places) - at least if it is properly implemented. Each individual can register only once, so we don't get these situations where some people have up to 10 votes through registrations on multiple addresses.

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Len Kivingstone says...
8:39am Fri 25 May 12

The best way for the public to deal with this nonsense is for everybody to fail to register. They couldn't fine everyone, and it would show our politicians how fed up we are with a lack of real choice, (especially the lack of a socialist Labour party), and the fact that we don't trust any of them. Unfortunaltely this will never happen because there are so many cowardly, gullible "sheep" that make up the British electorate who cannot see the damage they do by continuing to support the current electoral process.

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bill brockey says...
9:49am Fri 25 May 12

I don't like being lied to.

I voted Conservative at the last election on the understanding of what I read and heard from David Cameron...

He pledged he would cut immigration ( cannot remember the exact figures ) but is sounded good at the time as I think we are all fed up with the levels of immigration into this country.

My own feelings on immigration were that if you felt you were being swamped, then it was not a good thing.

Just before the last election I was looking for a building in a London street, I stopped 5 different people at random to ask directions... not a single person could understand English!

Today I read the latest figures for net migration into the UK has risen to 252,000 the second highest figures ever.

So not only have we been lied to by the leader of the Conservative Party about cutting migation, it has risen to record levels from a party pledged to cut it!

That is the last time I vote for them and will now switch to another political party who also pledges to cut immigration...

we have no choice!

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daveinrage says...
10:01am Fri 25 May 12

waste of time voting when they tell so many porkies.. better off voting for one of the smaller political parties they dont like to wind the big3 all up! lol

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bible scoffer says...
10:18am Fri 25 May 12

...i've quite often 'spoilt' my ballot form with a witty-ditty comment if there are the just the same gang of 'do nothing' stuffed shirts standing!!... it's my choice to do that - david cameroon has once again been left with a rather portion of egg on his boat race as you southern surburb cockneys say!! rofl!! ...still dave and the rest of the gang packed up work early yesterday for an eighteen day break!! ...hug-a-hood-dave is more intrested in playing silly computa games on his ipad than to worry about the things that decent, honest, folk are concerned with!! still - you get what you voted for in this world... no use moaning about immigration and crime in da pub when the people you voted in will do nothing about it!!... now time to hit da daily wail and sooper dooper soaraway sun me thinks!! laters.

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ron.1952 says...
11:52am Fri 25 May 12

Well as we can see from a few comments above, perhaps an IQ test would be more appropriate.

For those to stupid to know what IQ means, "intelligence quotient."

Ron

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Nixster says...
6:14am Sat 26 May 12

What's that quote again? "I may not agree with what you say, but I defend your right to say it"
Isn't India going to introduce some type of hand-scanning device, so that it knows about its 1.3B+ population? If you thought the immigration numbers were high, wait 'till the UK gets most of Greece come & stay, Housing, NHS, Education & other 'Benenfits' anyone? I think we're all doomed, Mr. Mainwaring!

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Its Me Again!!! says...
9:38am Sat 26 May 12

I keep getting this cookie request thing keep popping up whats happening on here?

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bible scoffer says...
10:01am Sat 26 May 12

Its Me Again!!! wrote:
I keep getting this cookie request thing keep popping up whats happening on here?
...under normal circumstances - 'cookies' are harmless - but on 'certain' local newspapers... it's a no, no unless you agree 'politically' with the local marxist political trolls!! 'block-out' ...'nastymrtom' and her other one thousand fake 'red' usernames!! rof...rof...rofl!! :)

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josh browser says...
10:32am Sat 26 May 12

bible scoffer wrote:
Its Me Again!!! wrote: I keep getting this cookie request thing keep popping up whats happening on here?
...under normal circumstances - 'cookies' are harmless - but on 'certain' local newspapers... it's a no, no unless you agree 'politically' with the local marxist political trolls!! 'block-out' ...'nastymrtom' and her other one thousand fake 'red' usernames!! rof...rof...rofl!! :)
well said mate! lol

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rarecockneyguvnor says...
11:22am Sat 26 May 12

Yus well said matey. ROFL

Watch out fer dem tracking cookies, or dumb blogs about Beckers fishing for e mail addresses. Everyone see through it though.
ROFLMAO

THAnK YOu

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reptiles says...
9:22am Mon 28 May 12

ive not read all of the above, but i dont do or understand politics. But no i dont vote- they all say one thing and do another, i have better things to do than walk 10-15 mins to a church hall to put a piece of paper in a box!
Its my free choice to make as to whether i register or vote or not!! No one should be forced into doing anything!

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Vitriolal says...
9:48am Mon 28 May 12

So the Question Time "curse" on those who were unfair on a certain person some time ago still continues! LOL

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englishman333 says...
9:55am Mon 28 May 12

oh you mean that lady with the expenses scandal? daily mail has run a double page on it today.. the net is hot with commentators calling for her sacking..
might just take a few hours out today to join in!

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manic says...
10:20am Mon 28 May 12

Nobody is forcing anybody to actually vote. They are trying to ensure everybody is just REGISTERED to vote - i.e. catching the Council Tax dodgers, as already mentioned. Not that difficult to understand surely ?

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rarecockneyguvnor says...
12:55pm Mon 28 May 12

"They" just wanna know where you live, ( like 'they' dont know already ! ) ROFL !!

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CaptainJustice says...
9:55am Tue 29 May 12

I'm a mature student with an axe to grind and find that voting for the main three political candidates is a complete waste of time, they think { these politicians } that they can backtrack and reverse decisions they previously said they would push through... basically they treat the public like dog poo knowing there is no real opposition to the main three political candidates who let's be honest there's not a ciggy paper between the lot of them
We need some viva la France style political change like Front Nationale has achieved over there.. We all saw how Sarcozy changed his view in the run up to the election with his views on immigration and Islam in France..
Getting the smaller Uk political party's a foothold on the political ladder is no bad thing in my opinion, getting treated like thick dog poo from the main 3 canidates once they are elected is not something the Uk public will continue to support forever.

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gutter press reader says...
10:16am Tue 29 May 12

i spend a lot of time on the daily newspapers posting comments to make people see that these politicians are in the main only interested in the self gain aspect of it

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Justin Case3 says...
10:26am Tue 29 May 12

rarecockneyguvnor wrote:
"They" just wanna know where you live, ( like 'they' dont know already ! ) ROFL !!
Plop!

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Jeeepsie Joe says...
11:12am Tue 29 May 12

gutter press reader wrote:
i spend a lot of time on the daily newspapers posting comments to make people see that these politicians are in the main only interested in the self gain aspect of it
I agree, just look at Fat Nick and limp along Clive, dem boys got their noses right in dah trough. Oink oink oink.

LOOSERS....... ROFL !!

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BarryHarry says...
10:41am Thu 31 May 12

Jeeepsie Joe wrote:
gutter press reader wrote: i spend a lot of time on the daily newspapers posting comments to make people see that these politicians are in the main only interested in the self gain aspect of it
I agree, just look at Fat Nick and limp along Clive, dem boys got their noses right in dah trough. Oink oink oink. LOOSERS....... ROFL !!
You havnt got much left to contribute anymore have you "jeeepsie joe" dont you feel a bit stupid now by keep repeating you "loosers" tag? p'poor effort and dumb to boot! lol

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