#MakeYourMark: Our campaign to register 17,000 missing voters in Hampstead and Kilburn
Picture: PA - Credit: PA Wire/Press Association Images
Parliamentary candidates and famous local residents have backed a campaign urging Hampstead and Kilburn constituents to ensure they are registered to vote in next month’s nail-biting general election.
Kathy Lette speaks at the protest. Picture: Polly Hancock. - Credit: Archant
Today, the Ham&High is launching its #MakeYourMark campaign calling on voters to register by the April 20 deadline so they can have their say in England’s tightest three-way marginal seat on May 7.
In 2010, there were just 42 votes separating victors Labour and the Conservatives, with the Liberal Democrats around 800 votes short of the winners.
But staggeringly in 2010, there were reportedly 17,000 missing voters in Hampstead and Kilburn who were not registered.
Bestselling author Kathy Lette, a Labour supporter who lives in South Hampstead, is backing the #MakeYourMark campaign.
Tom Conti talks to Camden Tories "What it is to be a Tory" - Credit: Nigel Sutton
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She said: “Size matters, every girl knows that. Size of election that is. This is a nail-biting, cliff hanger election and every vote counts.
“It’s appalling to me that nine million British women don’t vote. Be an exercise junkie: exercise your right to vote. If you don’t vote for the society you want, you can’t complain about it.”
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Hampstead actor Tom Conti, a passionate Tory, said: “If you want your life to get better then engage with the country. I think everyone should vote. You have a right, you should embrace it.”
Last year, a change to the electoral register requiring voters to sign up individually rather than as a household meant more than 2,000 voters in Hampstead and Kilburn fell off the register.
Tulip Siddiq, Labour parliamentary candidate for Hampstead and Kilburn, said: “I applaud the Ham&High for its efforts to boost the number of people registered. We’re in danger of presiding over a voiceless generation.”
Tory candidate Simon Marcus said: “Democracy only works well if people take part. I have gone door-to-door for over two years to talk to voters and explain how important their voice is.”
Lib Dem candidate Maajid Nawaz added: “We live in the tightest three-way marginal seat in England. In this seat your vote makes all the difference. Register to vote, and then make sure to vote.”
To register to vote by April 20, visit gov.uk/register-to-vote
