NIO blasts Sinn Fein over ‘untrue’ claims around new electoral register

Sinn Fein made the claim, along with a number of others, in an online video that warned the government that Sinn Fein will challenge the canvass of voters due to take place from July until December.

In the video posted on social media on Tuesday, the party also made the often repeated claim that “the vote was denied to nationalists for decades,” when the lack of voting franchise was limited to local government elections only, and even then affected both non-tax or rate-paying Catholics and Protestants equally.

The Sinn Fein Twitter message stated: “The British Govt is planning a mass purge of voters in the North. This is a blatant attempt to suppress the voice of citizens in next year’s historic assembly election.”

In response, the NIO tweeted: “This is not true. Canvass is not about removing people, but ensuring the register is as accurate as possible. Registering to vote is fundamental to the democratic process and people cannot remain on the NI register indefinitely without refreshing their registration.”

New UK-wide legislation introduced in 2010 required the register to be updated at least every 10 years, however, this was postponed in 2020 due to the Covid pandemic.

It is now scheduled to take place between July and December this year, with a number of measures in place to ensure the re-registration process is as simple as possible.

According to the Electoral Office NI (EONI), the online process requires a national insurance number (if you have one) and address details, and takes around three minutes to complete.

Sinn Fein deputy leader Michelle O’Neill said she has called for an urgent meeting with the NI Secretary of State Brandon Lewis.

“Plans by the British government and the Electoral Office to wipe the existing electoral register are very concerning as it could lead to tens of thousands of people losing their vote,” she said.

“The Electoral Office should be looking at new and innovative ways of making it easier for people to register and to vote instead of making it harder.”

Ulster Unionist MLA Robbie Butler said his party was fully behind the overhaul of the electoral register, and added: “It is a truly bizarre sight to see a supposedly democratic party stand in opposition to ensuring an electoral roll is fair.”

In a social media message, EONI said: “The canvass is a statutory duty and will open at the start of July. People will be able to register during the following five months.

“The Electoral Office will be supporting everyone in Northern Ireland who is eligible to get on the register during those five months.

“Details of the canvass will be sent to every house and registration will be available online with paper available if needed.”

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