Tom Elliott MLA: It is alarming that in the last council elections so many people lost the opportunity to cast a vote

I am shocked to learn that almost 5.000 applications for temporary postal votes in the recent local government elections were rejected which is a massive increase from previous elections.

I have already written to Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland in order to attempt to address the issue for future elections. At a time when there is much encouragement to people to exercise their right to vote it is alarming that many people have lost that opportunity, this is particularly relevant in a number of DEAs (district electoral areas) where the result is down to a few votes separating candidates.

The most common reason given was the lack of digital registration numbers, with many people not having this number. The process of getting a medically qualified person to confirm an application is also becoming extremely difficult in many instances.

Many others are unaware that they have or require their Digital Registration Number (DRN), this is proving a barrier to many seeking to secure their vote.

The chief electoral officer has undertaken to carry out a review of the digital registration process and what can be done to assist voters before any further elections in Northern Ireland.

Tom Elliott, Ulster Unionist Assembly member for Fermanagh and South Tyrone