Facebook joins General Election push

The Electoral Commission has drafted in Facebook, as it attempts to usher voters into the polling booth.

Under the scheme, UK users who visit the site on Saturday will be asked whether they’ve registered to vote, and reminded that they need to register in order to cast their ballot in the 6 May General Election.

Those who haven’t will be offered the chance to register online. The plan is part of a wider public awareness campaign by the Electoral Commission, as the 20 April deadline for voter registration looms.

The reason people are going to go vote is because they are inspired by candidates… and we want to make sure that if people decide they want to vote then they don’t get to the polling station and realise they needed to register and it’s too late

“The Electoral Commission focuses on enabling people to vote,” said a spokesman for the Electoral Commission.

“The reason people are going to go vote is because they are inspired by candidates… and we want to make sure that if people decide they want to vote, then they don’t get to the polling station and realise they needed to register and it’s too late.”

So just how do you register to vote online?

Users who are directed through Facebook, or who logon directly to the Electoral Commission website, can complete the necessary form online

“The net registration system will automatically populate the form for you with your address and local authority by just entering them into the system,” said the Commission spokesman. “All you have to is print it off, sign it, and send it to you local authority.”

He added this was a necessary step, as the law currently requires an “original copy of the signature” to validate the registration.

The Electoral Commission estimates that as many as 3.5 million eligible voters were not registered for the 2001 election.

Check out our Techlection feature in this month’s issue of PC Pro, which reveals how the major parties are using technology in this election – on sale Thursday.