Glasgow could become first Scottish council to trial automatic voter registration

Glasgow is set to become the first council in Scotland to trial automatic voter registration as plans get under way.

The scheme would see people being registered to vote for elections without having to apply themselves.

Residents are currently responsible for their own registration.

Glasgow City Council is planning to apply for funding to run an automatic voter registration pilot. Information used to register voters would potentially include council tax, claimant and school data.

A number of councils in Wales are rolling out trials, and Scotland’s biggest city aims to apply for Holyrood funding to develop a proposal informed by the Welsh pilots.

It is believed that the move, which simplifies voting, could increase turnout so that fewer people miss out on the chance to have their say on what political candidates are elected.

City SNP councillor Alex Kerr kicked off the process by bringing a motion to council asking for Glasgow to be considered for an “automatic voter registration pilot” with the Scottish Government.

Outlining the benefits of people being automatically registered, the motion said: “Council considers this would meet the aims of increasing democratic well-being by widening the pool of those eligible to vote and removing unnecessary barriers from participation in the democratic process to some of the most deprived communities.”

It added: “Council further believes the success of such pilots would highlight the benefits of taking an approach which opens up democracy, as opposed to inadvertently closing routes into participation through implementation of unnecessary voter ID legislation which creates barriers to participation.”

An update on the proposal will be presented to Glasgow’s wellbeing, equalities, communities, culture and engagement city policy committee next week.

A paper on the topic said: “Automatic voter registration (AVR) represents a shift from the existing approach of using data to invite potential electors to apply for inclusion in the electoral register to automatically enrolling known eligible persons on the register using data.”

Councillors are recommended to note that the “Electoral Registration Officer will apply for funding to develop the pilot proposal, on the basis that this will be informed by the Welsh pilots” and agreed that a “further report be presented to the Committee before the end of the year.”