UK: People urged to register for EU referendum despite deadline glitch

The UK’s Prime Minister David Cameron today communicated via Twitter that “urgent communications” were taking place to rectify the technical glitch that occurred last night which could see people eligible to vote, denied this right.

The Electoral Commission has called for emergency legislation to be implemented allowing for the registration deadline to be extended.

The government website experienced technical difficulties last night from around 10.15pm until after the registration deadline at midnight.

It has been reported by a number of voters that an ‘error message’ displayed on the screen instead of the form to complete the registration process.

“Unprecedented demand”, with over half a million voters trying to register yesterday, has been blamed for the technical error.

A consensus of anger at potentially being unable to affect the vote has swept the country, with many MPs expressing anger at the event. Lib Dem leader Tim Farron said it was a “shambles” that could affect the referendum result.

Ministers were called to respond to urgent questioning on the problem today at 12.30pm.

It has not yet been revealed whether those who attempted to register during the technical error were successful in doing so.

In a statement, the commission said it was “vital” everyone who wants to vote on 23 June is able to do so, with a “very significant increase” in online applications on Tuesday.

It added: “There will be many people who wanted to register to vote last night and were not able to.

“The registration deadline is set out in legislation and we have said to the government this morning they should consider options for introducing legislation as soon as possible that would extend the deadline.

“We would support such a change.”

In a statement, the commission stated that it was “vital” everyone who wants to vote on 23 June is able to do so, with a “very significant increase” in online applications on Tuesday.

It added: “There will be many people who wanted to register to vote last night and were not able to.

“The registration deadline is set out in legislation and we have said to the government this morning they should consider options for introducing legislation as soon as possible that would extend the deadline.”

The Cabinet Office said: “We are urgently considering what the options are for those who were unable to register to vote last night.”

Justice Secretary Michael Gove welcomed the investigation, adding: “I know these are complex legal waters but I would not want to do anything to frustrate people’s opportunity to register.”