ID card database to be electoral register?

The government's proposed ID card database could serve as a nationwide electronic voter register, a committee of MPs was told on 25 January, 2005.

MPs on a parliamentary inquiry into electoral registration heard that, while using the ID database as the basis of a voter register could result in a "complicated enrolment process", it may be the preferred option to cut down on the duplication of systems.

Francis Aldhouse, deputy information commissioner, told the inquiry that some people might want to use a different name or address on separate government databases. But with voter enrolment it may make sense to use the ID database.

"Sometimes it's a good idea to collect similar information separately because individuals might want to use a different name or address on different databases," he told the committee. "In this case however, that probably might not arise and you might want to say that the list of people on the identity register is the same list entitled to vote in elections. I do see the strength in that argument."

In its submission to the inquiry the Electoral Commission said that, although it could have no official view on the ID programme, the identity database could help with a voter register.

The inquiry, held jointly by the Committee on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the Constitutional Affairs Select Committee, focused on the government's plans to modernise voter registration. Ministers have so far said little about using an ID card for voter registration, but are planning a new national electoral system to replace local registers.

The government is soon to publish further details of its plans to set up the Coordinated Online Register of Electors (CORE), which is intended to standardise local registers allowing users to access data centrally.

The Electoral Commission told the inquiry that it supports the CORE proposals, but the government needs to be clear on the business processes that are critical for setting up a system. It said that the forthcoming plans need to be clear on how electronic registration fits in with other initiatives such as online voting.

"The Commission understands that the government intends to publish shortly a strategy paper outlining its vision for electoral modernisation," it said. "In the context of the significant number of individual projects likely to be contained within the overall strategy, it is important that the government makes clear its view of the relationship between the CORE project and other projects, including the possible introduction of individual registration."