Man 'shaking' after being refused a vote (From Stroud News and Journal)

Man 'shaking' after being refused a vote

AN EBLEY man was left "shaking with anger" after being told he could not vote in the general election because he has not registered.

Darcey Crownshaw moved from Nailsworth to Ebley last June and has been paying council tax since then. However, he has been told he cannot vote because he is not on the electoral roll.

Mr Crownshaw first learned that he was not on the system when a friend mentioned she had received her ballot slip.

He phoned up the council on Thursday, April 21, and was told it had no record of his address for 2003 or 2004.

If he had filled in the form incorrectly, there is a procedure in place that would have allowed the returning officer to use his discretion to rectify the mistake.

But as he never received a form, there was no way of doing this.

Mr Crownshaw said: "How many people when they move house actually ring up the electoral register?

"My lawyer didn't do it and there's no question I don't live here when the council tax is due is there?

"The government is trying to encourage people to vote but they can't because of this silly system.

"I was furious. I have voted in every single general election. "People have died to give us the right to vote."

Returning officer David Hagg said that the election office had acted within legal guidelines and that it is the responsibility of the individual to register to vote.

He added that he had referred Mr Crownshaw to the Electoral Commission, which supported the council's position but would be happy to give Mr Crownshaw advice about how to register for future elections.

Mr Hagg said: "It was only last Thursday that he chose to contact the election office and raise the issue with us.

"If it had been raised earlier we would have been able to do something about it.

"Once the date of operations has been closed the register in force at the time becomes the register for the election."