Sinn Féin criticises NI Electoral Office review plan

Details will be sent to all households in NI about what they need to do during the canvass

Sinn Féin has criticised plans by the Electoral Office to carry out a review of Northern Ireland's electoral register this summer.

The canvassing of households is legally required to update voter details, but was delayed last year due to the pandemic.

People who do not return their form on time will be removed from the register.

The Electoral Office said the process was needed to ensure "accuracy and completeness" of the register.

The last canvass took place in Northern Ireland in 2013.

More than 60,000 voters were removed from the register ahead of the most recent assembly election in 2017.

That figure included some voters who had been allowed a two-year rollover on the register following the 2013 canvass, but were no longer deemed eligible.

On Thursday, Sinn Féin MP Paul Maskey expressed concerns about the plans following a meeting with NI's chief electoral officer Virginia McVea.

He described the review as "unacceptable" while Northern Ireland was still dealing with the pandemic and urged the Electoral Office to reconsider the plans.

West Belfast MP Paul Maskey said the canvass should not be taking place during the pandemic

The canvass is legally required by the UK government, but Mr Maskey described it as "organised voter suppression" by the Northern Ireland Office (NIO).

A spokesperson for the government dismissed the suggestion as untrue.

"Canvass is not about removing people from the register, but ensuring the register is as accurate as possible," they added.

"Registering to vote is fundamental to the democratic process and people cannot remain on the NI register indefinitely without periodically refreshing their registration."

Statutory duty

Mr Maskey said his party would be challenging the issue to "protect the voting rights of all citizens".

"What the Electoral Office needs to do is implement new ways to make voting easier for people in an election in a pandemic situation," he said.

But Ms McVea told BBC News NI that the Electoral Office was preparing to perform its statutory duty.

The canvass will open at the start of July and people will be able to register until the start of December, she said.

"As explained in detail to Sinn Féin and previously, the Electoral Office is intent upon supporting everyone in Northern Ireland who is eligible to get on the register during those five months," she added.

Details will be sent to every house and registration will be available online or by paper.

All households are also expected to receive reminders encouraging them to register to vote.

The next assembly election in Northern Ireland is scheduled for May 2022.

Unlike in Great Britain, Northern Ireland does not have an annual canvass process and Westminster sources said 2021 must be a canvass year.