New poll shows the high number of people still not registered to vote in general election

Exclusive new polling data has delved into the data surrounding voter registration, and a surprising amount of people involved are still not registered ahead of the 2024 general election.

A Techne poll for Independent Media takes a closer look at voting habits ahead of the big day on July 4. TechneUK is a member of the British Polling Council and an MRS Company Partner.

The polling asked a select numer of people in the UK whether they were registered to vote in the general election.

A total of 84 per cent of people answered yes, whereas 11 per cent said no and five per cent said they didn’t know.

Techne

Of the 18-34 years involved in the polling, 22 per cent of 18-34 year-olds said they had not registered to vote, which is significantly higher than people polled in older age brackets.

Six per cent of the 35-44 year-olds said they were not registered, while four per cent of 45-54 year-olds, five per cent of 55-64 year-olds and 2 per cent of over 64-year-olds said they weren't registered.

People were also asked if they had the right voter ID to vote in the election – 90 per cent said yes, while three per cent said they did not and six per cent said they did not know.

Techne

The polling data also delved into Diane Abbott and the situation surrounding the MP’s role for Labour in the upcoming election.

Abbott has represented Hackney North and Stoke Newington since 1987. She was suspended back in April last year after she wrote a letter published in The Observer which suggested Jewish people are not subjected to the same racism as other minorities.

Abbott had said Jewish, Irish and traveller communities have experienced “prejudice”, but that this was “similar to racism”, with the two words “often used as if they are interchangeable”.

Abbott – who was shadow home secretary during Jeremy Corbyn’s time as Labour leader – had the whip restored last month, but a day later told the BBC she had been blocked from standing as a candidate.

Abbott has now been cleared to stand as a Labour MP days after she swiftly deleted a tweet accusing Sir Keir Starmer of lying about his respect for her.

The new poll asked members of the public whether Starmer’s handling of the candidate issue affected how they intend to vote in the general election.

Techne

A total of 82 per cent of people said it would make “no difference” to how they intended to vote. However, six per cent said it would make them more likely to vote Labour, while four per cent said it would make them less likely to vote in the election. A total of three per cent said it would make them more likely to vote Conservative.

Of the people involved in the study who were not intending to vote, the polling also showed that 30 per cent were choosing not to because they did not like any policies of the political parties. Another 30 per cent of the people not intending to vote said that they were not interested in politics, while 24 per cent said that they did not believe their vote counts and 'whatever party is elected they will act as before'. A further nine per cent said that they will not be voting because they did not like any of the selected candidates in my constituency.

Other polling data this week suggests that Nigel Farage's decision to stand for Reform UK in Clacton-on-Sea has proven a significant boost for the party, moving up three points to 15 per cent of the vote.

The poll from Teche published on Friday showed that a surge in support for Reform had resulted in the Tories being down a point to 20 per cent, with Labour also down one point to 44 per cent.

The poll also showed that Reform had overtaken the Liberal Democrats, with Reform sitting at 15 per cent and the Lib Dems on 11 per cent.

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