Electoral register spam mail will "stop people joining"
MORE and more people will take themselves off the electoral register thanks to spam and junk mail.
That's according to a campaigner who lays the blame for the issue at the feet of Forest of Dean MP Mark Harper.
Mr Harper is also Minister for Political and Constitutional Reform in the Coalition Government and has been urged to re-address the 'opt-out' nature of the register.
John Barrie, who lives in Devon but has elderly relatives in the Forest plagued by junk post, wants the register changed to an 'opt-in' option for anyone happy to have their details shared with third parties.
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He said: "Labour were minded to abolish the edited register, being cognisant of its dangers, however, the General Election interrupted the consultation stage.
"The Electoral Commission, the Association of Electoral Administrators, the Information Commission et al, all want the register abolished, essentially for reasons of data protection, yet, the Coalition Government decided to retain it.
"The electorate will simply elect not to register themselves as, over time, they become increasingly aware that their personal data is being sold and misused in this unsolicited manner.
"Surely, that is totally contrary to the purpose of an electoral register, where the remit should be to collate the maximum number of electorate and to use the information solely for electioneering purposes?
"The edited register disincentivises the voter from registering themselves."
The previous Government consulted on the future of the register in 2009 but did not publish a response to its consultation before leaving office.
Mr Harper has been involved in various discussions about its future since then and said, after "careful consideration", it had been decided the register would remain as it is.
He said: "The overwhelming majority of responses to the previous Government's consultation on the Edited Register favoured its retention because of the significant wider social and economic benefits it provides.
"For example, it is often used by those who've been adopted when seeking to trace their birth families. I've seen no convincing evidence that the edited register acts as a disincentive to register to vote – after all, it is very straightforward for anyone to opt out if they choose to do so."
Comments
by Freeborn_John
Tuesday, September 04 2012, 11:52AM
“More of an incentive to be on the electoral register would be to have someone half decent to vote for”
by Pebbles23
Monday, September 03 2012, 5:42PM
“Having suffered a presentation by Mr Harper on an unrelated subject, I can safely say without a shadow of a doubt that the bloke is a noodle.”
by spindles12
Monday, September 03 2012, 5:23PM
“BienPensant, I didn't mean to say that I had opted out of the Electoral Register only the Edited one but I see that there"s a not in the wrong place in my message,as in:-
If Mr John Barrie thinks that NOT having your name on the edited Electoral Register will make the slightest difference then he's living on a different planet. My husband and I have been off the register for about four years".
I should have said "having your name on the edited Electoral Register will NOT make the slightest difference.... My husband and I have been off the EDITED register - which is what I meant, blame it on a senior moment!”
by BienPensant
Monday, September 03 2012, 4:38PM
“spindle - you say 'opting out of the full Electoral Register won't stop the junk'.
You cannot 'opt-out' of the full register. This article is only about the edited register, through which your personal data can be sold to any person, to be used for any purpose. The TPS doesn't stop nuisance phone calls, although it helps.”
by Kay_Powell
Monday, September 03 2012, 4:32PM
“I agree that the Telephone Preference Service is about as much use as a chocolate teapot, but I found that the Mailing Preference Service did cut down tremedously on the junk mail that I receive. They can't stop the stuff that is delivered to an address, rather than an idividual, though.”
by spindles12
Monday, September 03 2012, 4:13PM
“If Mr John Barrie thinks that not having your name on the edited Electoral Register will make the slightest difference then he's living on a different planet. My husband and I have been off the register for about four years yet we still get unsolicited mail advertising pensions, orthopaedic beds, will writing services and other "elderly" junk mail. If it's not coming from the various companies it's being pushed through the door by the postman, sometimes thats ALL the post their is so he's making a special journey to my postbox with the junk. As soon as it comes through the door it goes straight into the recycling box, but not before looking through it as I nearly missed an important letter because it was wrapped up in adverts for pizzas amongst other junk.
Even being on the Telephone Preference Service doesn't stop junk. I recently signed up for BT Privacy where you get free caller display and they inform the TPS but I received a letter from the TPS who informed me that I had originally signed up for it back in 1998. I would never have known because I was getting regular junk phone calls but thankfully the Caller Display has really helped, although sometimes I answer the junk ones, just so I can wind them up!
So, blaming an MP might make Mr Barrie feel better but as far as I'm concerned opting out of the full Electoral Register won't stop the junk.”
by BienPensant
Monday, September 03 2012, 2:45PM
“The simple answer to this is have an 'opt-in' box for the edited register, instead of an 'opt-out' box. Many people must be on this spammers and scammers register without even realising it. 'Opt-out' tick boxes should be banned by law - full stop. They are merely a device to trip and dupe the unwary, we all know that - even Mr Harper.
How many people does Mark Harper believe would 'opt-in' ? Yes, 'opt-in' to have their personal data treated as a commodity for sale to merchants who peddle unsolicited junk mail !
Why do we have an Information Commissioner and an Electoral Commission if their views on the edited electoral register are disregarded in favour of sleazy spammers and scammers ? Where are their voices against this ?”