A report by the Electoral Commission has found that barely half of 19-24 year olds are registered to vote.

The report published on Monday found that only 56% of 19-24 year olds were registered, compared with 94% of those aged over 65.

The report also showed that 8.5 million people were not registered to vote, over double the last findings by the commission in 2000.

Jenny Watson, Chair of the Electoral Commission, said: “This should be of concern for everyone who cares about democracy. There are many reasons behind the decline in registration – including changes to our population and increasing disengagement with traditional party politics. But we know almost half of those not registered mistakenly think they are, and more needs to be done to address this.

“Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) need to keep finding better ways of identifying people we know are less likely to be registered, and they will need adequate funding from local authorities to do that properly. The Commission gives guidance to EROs to help them do this more effectively, but it should be remembered that our guidance is just that - and we do not have powers to intervene. We will also keep targeting under-registered groups, through our own public awareness campaigns.”

Meanwhile, the report also found that only 77% of people from Black and Minority Ethnic communities were registered, compared with 86% of white people.

Homeowners were also more likely to be registered to vote, with 33% more rate payers signing on to vote compared to those living in private rented homes.

Ms Watson added: “The Commission has recommended a number of important and practical steps that the Government needs to take to ensure this change goes smoothly.

"It will be particularly important to have an annual canvass in early 2014 to make sure that the transition from household to individual electoral registration takes place from the best possible base.”

(DW)