In Hulme, comparing
figures from March 2014 and March 2015, the number of voters in Hulme has
dropped by 3442, a decrease of 26%.
The change to the
registration system has disproportionately affected young people, students,
private renters and people from minority ethnic backgrounds.
A closer look at the
figures revealed that although the average fall in voter numbers is 13% in 4 of
the 5 districts of Hulme, in the 5th area which has a high
student population, that fall is 73%.
Deyika Nzeribe, the Green
Party Local Election candidate for Hulme said “With the deadline for
registration being this Monday April 20th, its essential people pay
attention and take action or they will miss their chance to vote for a change
in government, local and national.
If you don’t like
politicians but want to vote, go to the independent ‘Vote for Policies’
website, make your own mind up.”
There are 10% less
people on Manchester’s electoral register than this time last year, which could
radically alter the outcome of the election. In the Manchester local elections
in 2014, The Green Party came 2nd with 12.7% of the vote,
whilst the Lib Dems came 3rd with 11.7%.
The council wards that
have seen the greatest drop in registered voters are areas with high
populations of students, private renters and minority ethnic voters.
The City Centre has lost
37% of its registered voters. Ardwick has lost 33%, Withington 28%, Hulme 26%,
Rusholme 23% and Fallowfield 21%.
Meanwhile, more affluent
areas with a higher percentage of homeowners have remained largely unchanged.
Chorlton has only lost 3% of voters, whilst Didsbury East lost 2%.
You register to vote
online in under 5 minutes by visiting https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote and
entering your national insurance number.
