Today the Electoral Commission has published the provisional electorate figures for the UK and Gibraltar ahead of the EU referendum on Thursday 23 June. The final electorate for the referendum cannot be confirmed until 9pm on polling day as in some limited circumstances changes can still be made to the registers up to that point.
Data collected from the 382 local voting areas shows the provisional size of the UK and Gibraltar electorate indicates a UK record of 46,499,537. This figure is the total number of electors eligible to vote in Thursday’s poll. The number of entries on the UK parliamentary registers following the early end to the transition to Individual Electoral Registration in December 2015 was 44,441,081.
The previous record UK electorate for a similar franchise to that used at the EU referendum was the 46,354,197 voters registered prior to the UK Parliamentary General Election in 2015. The previous record for any UK wide election was the 46,487,579 voters registered at the European Parliamentary Elections in 2014, although these elections use a different franchise to that which will be used for the EU Referendum.
The previous record UK electorate for a similar franchise to that used at the EU referendum was the 46,354,197 voters registered prior to the UK Parliamentary General Election in 2015. The previous record for any UK wide election was the 46,487,579 voters registered at the European Parliamentary Elections in 2014, although these elections use a different franchise to that which will be used for the EU Referendum.
The franchise for the EU referendum is the same as that for UK Parliamentary elections, with the addition of peers and citizens of Gibraltar who can vote in European Parliamentary elections. EU citizens are not eligible to vote in the EU Referendum unless they otherwise meet the eligibility criteria.
The size of the electorate for the referendum across the UK and Gibraltar is:
| Region | Eligible electorate: EU referendum | Eligible electorate: UKPGE May 2015 | Entries on UK parliamentary registers in Dec 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | 38,956,824 | 38,736,146 | 37,161,518 |
| Gibraltar | 24,117 | n/a | n/a |
| Northern Ireland | 1,260,955 | 1,236,765 | 1,238,019 |
| Scotland | 3,988,492 | 4,099,532 | 3,872,025 |
| Wales | 2,270,743 | 2,281,754 | 2,169,519 |
| Total | 46,499,537 | 46,354,197 | 44,441,081 |
The original deadline to register to vote at the EU referendum was midnight on Tuesday 7 June. Problems with the Government’s registration website during the final hours before the deadline resulted in the UK Parliament passing legislation to extend the registration deadline in Great Britain for 48 hours to midnight on Thursday 9 June.
Breakdown to the 382 count regions can be found HERE
Breakdown to the 382 count regions can be found HERE
