SF seeks repeal of North’s voter registration rules

Sinn Féin has called on the North’s Electoral Commission to scrap legislation requiring voters to register every year.

Party spokesman Alec Maskey claimed 211,000 voters had been disenfranchised since the legislation was introduced in 2002.

A report published by the Electoral Commission in December said the new registration procedures were deterring voters from disadvantaged backgrounds, with people living in poorer areas and those with learning disabilities less likely to secure their vote.

The report said the new rules were also deterring students and young people.