Facebook helping to register UK voters

THE UK’s electoral commission is working with social networking site Facebook to help get unregistered voters signed up in time for the forthcoming general election.

Facebook users who visit the site over the weekend will be asked if they have registered to vote. Those that say "No" will be sent to a page linked to the Electoral Commission that lets them enter details online.

The deadline for voter registration for the general election to be held on 6^th May is 20^th April – with the Electoral Commission claiming that 3.5 million people who are eligible to vote in England and Wales in 2001 were not registered.

Unregistered Facebook users will be redirected to a site where they will be able to enter their personal details and download a pre-filled form to sign to send off to the Electoral Commission.

Director of policy at Facebook, Richard Allan, claimed that many Facebook users are typically excluded from politics.

"One of the strengths we have is to try and capture that group, particularly the 18-24 year-old voters, who have often not turned out to vote, and use the fact that many of the things on Facebook are familiar to them to get them engaged."

People can register online by visiting the Electoral Commission's registration website, www.aboutmyvote.co.uk.

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