DOMESTIC ABUSE SURVIVORS AND ANONYMOUS ELECTORAL REGISTRATION

Motion Text

That this House believes that current legislation for anonymous electoral registration disenfranchises a large proportion of domestic abuse survivors; commends the campaign by Women's Aid and Mehala Osborne to change the current legislation; notes that many domestic abuse survivors do not involve the police or courts in their own circumstances and instead choose only to involve charities, medical professionals or refuges; further believes that those individuals qualified to provide an attestation for anonymous registration are not accessible to most domestic abuse survivors; believes that medical professionals and refuge managers should be able to provide an attestation; expresses concern that annual individual electoral registration will force survivors to go through this process every year to remain registered; further notes that exemptions to annual registration exist for members of the armed forces; welcomes the Cabinet Office Minister's announcement that the Government will look closely at this issue; and calls for the Government to act urgently to update legislation to ensure domestic abuse survivors are not disenfranchised from the democratic process.