The X Factor it isn't – online voter registration will update our democracy

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/mar/26/x-factor-online-voter-registration-democracy

Version 0 of 1.

The UK needs an ambitious and comprehensive strategy for bringing the way we vote into the modern age. Technology has changed rapidly in the past decade. Unless our electoral system keeps pace with the way many voters live the rest of their lives – where the way they bank and the way they shop has been transformed – it risks being seen as increasingly alien and outdated, particularly to young voters as they use it for the first time.

Before anyone accuses the Electoral Commission of simply equating the act of voting in an election with shopping online – or indeed with voting in The X Factor – let me be clear. Voting is a serious and important civic act – citizens' chance to change the people in power. Our electoral system needs to be secure as well as accessible, and that balance needs to be struck very carefully indeed. But there should be a proper focus on how the system can keep that balance as well as changing to help address the declining levels of participation that anyone who cares about elections should be worried about.

We receive many calls and emails from the public asking about how to register to vote. When we explain the system, they are often baffled that in this day and age they can't submit their form online, but have to put it in the post. The government's decision to move to online registration from June as part of the introduction of individual electoral registration – a move begun by the previous administration – is an important step forward.

We first called for this change in 2003. Individual electoral registration will make the system more secure, while ensuring that each individual is responsible for their own vote, replacing the outdated 19th century concept that a single "head of the household" is responsible for registering everyone.

Online registration is an important first step in addressing the disconnect between electoral technology and voters' expectations. It should also be a real opportunity to get more young people registered. The proportion of 19- to 24-year-olds on the electoral register is 56% compared with 94% of those aged 65 or older, but this new system is quick and easy to use. It will help organisations such as Bite the Ballot, the NUS and Operation Black Vote that are running innovative, exciting campaigns to encourage more people to register.

These are positive steps, but they don't add up to an ambitious, comprehensive modernisation strategy. So as we move towards and beyond the next general election, the Electoral Commission, working with others who care about this issue, is going to explore what such a strategy could look like. We want future governments and parliaments to be clear about the options, and we want to make sure the voice of the electoral community is heard in the debate about how the way we vote develops in future.

From the ability to register to vote on the day of the election or voters being able to use any polling station in their constituency, or the introduction of advance voting, or even more radical options such as e-voting, we will look at a range of options and identify those that present a modernising future for our electoral system. It will take time, but the benefits could be significant in making sure that our electoral system stays relevant and reflects what voters, particularly those voting for the first time, expect and understand.