Election 2015: Voter registration deadline imminent

Monday is the last possible day to register to vote in the 2015 general election.

Anyone wishing to vote must be registered by midnight on Monday or they will not be able to.

The Electoral Commission reports that 1.7 million applications to register to vote have been made in the past five weeks, most of them online.

People can register online or visit their local town hall offices to fill in a paper form.

It is too late to post a paper registration form.

The Electoral Commission said recent applications included almost 470,000 online applications from 16 to 24-year-olds.

However, its research also suggested there may be as many as 7.5 million unregistered voters.

The day with the highest number of online applications so far was 16 April with 110,000 applications, the same day the BBC aired the debate with opposition leaders.

The majority of those website visits were made after host David Dimbleby mentioned registration at the close of the programme.

The day with the next highest number of online applications was 30 March, which was the start of the official general election campaign period and the dissolution of Parliament.

Electoral Commission chairwoman Jenny Watson said: "It takes just a few minutes to apply to register online, so do it now.

"We don't want anyone to miss out, but if you miss the deadline on 20 April and then try to vote you will be turned away from the polling station on election day.

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Make sure this doesn't happen to you."

Politicians including Green Party leader Natalie Bennett and shadow work and pensions secretary Rachel Reeves reminded their Twitter followers over the weekend to register in time, as did satirist Armando Iannucci, creator of The Thick Of It.

Actor Ralf Little tweeted: "Feel disillusioned? Even if you only vote to keep out the person you hate most, it all counts. Don't miss out."

Campaign groups have been working to persuade ethnic minorities, disabled people and young people to register.

The UK general election takes place on 7 May.

Local government elections are taking place across England - excluding London - on the same day. A number of mayoral elections are also taking place.

The last general election in 2010 saw a voter turnout of 65.1% across the UK.

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