A package of new measures is to be introduced from 16 February 2001, to make voting easier and increase turnout at elections. People will now be able to register to vote at any time of the year, due to the introduction of the new rolling register system, where as previously the register was only updated once yearly, causing many people to miss out.
Postal votes are to become available upon demand for the first time.
People will no longer be required to give a reason for wanting a postal vote. This should make voting easier for people with mobility and transport problems. The new legislation will also help to ensure that groups of people who were previously excluded are now able to vote. Homeless people will now be able to make a declaration of local connection, give the nearest address to a location where they spend a substantial amount of their time, for example a local caf . People in mental hospitals will also be able to register to vote for the first time, unless they are being held for criminal behaviour, and voluntary patients will no longer need to pass the additional test of making a patient's declaration.