The Electoral Reform Society (ERS) has said that the electoral registration system “desperately needs updating”, and called for the “unnecessary and damaging” voter ID scheme to be scrapped.

Responding to a Department of Levelling Up, Housing & Communities report on Electoral Registration that said that action was needed to “prevent mass disenfranchisement at the General Election”, Dr Jess Garland, Director of Research & Policy at ERS said “we support the committee’s conclusions that our electoral registration system desperately needs updating.

“It is unacceptable that millions of eligible voters are missing from the electoral rolls.

“Not only are voters being let down by an impractical and out-of-date registration system, they are also facing additional hurdles in the unnecessary and damaging voter ID scheme.