Yesterday was the Last Chance to Register to Be Able to Vote in the Referendum
We are getting closer to the upcoming referendum on 23 June. Many voters have already registered to be able to vote. Yesterday at 11:59 pm was their last chance to do so. Therefore I would like to give you a short overview about the electorate. We are always focusing on hypothetic outcomes and possible consequences, but not on the people who actually vote.
But who is eligible to cast a vote on 23 June?
That is one of the most important questions in the run-up to the referendum — so, let’s throw some light on it:
- Every British or Irish citizen living in the UK who is 18 or over.
- Every citizen of a Commonwealth country who is 18 or over and is allowed to stay in the UK.
- Every UK citizen who had registered to vote before the last general election in 2015 or the local elections last month and who has not moved since that date.
- British citizens living overseas who have been registered to vote in the UK during the last 15 years
Who has registered to be able to vote?
That is another interesting question which should be taken a closer look at.
On Monday this week, 226,000 people registered for the referendum. Since the middle of May, even 1.65 people registered. These numbers do not seem very high at first sight, but if we consider that only people who did not vote in the last elections have to register at all, this is quite remarkable. The two biggest groups within the electorate are people aged 25 to 34 and people younger than 25. That shows that many people who normally do not vote, want to cast their vote in the referendum.
