Rogerson tackles PM on second home voters
North Cornwall’s MP, Dan Rogerson, has secured a meeting with the Minister responsible for Electoral Registration today, following exchanges with David Cameron in the House of Commons.
Mr Rogerson has campaigned against second home owners being able to vote in Cornwall if they are not ordinarily resident in the Duchy.
Speaking at Prime Minister’s Questions, Mr Rogerson said, “Voting by second home owners in regions such as Cornwall has become a controversial topic. Local residents are concerned that election results might be skewed. Councils do not check whether some people are voting in two locations in the same election. Would the Prime Minister agree to meet with me, or to invite a ministerial colleague to do so, to discuss this?”
Responding, the Prime Minister said, “It is important that electoral registers are accurate. It is an offence to vote in two different places. I’m not sure I agree with him about second home owners being able to vote. A great many honourable members may not be able to vote in their own constituencies. He should meet the Minister responsible for electoral registration.”
Commenting after the exchanges, Dan Rogerson said:
“Our primary concern in Cornwall is not whether MPs who don’t even live in their own constituencies should be able to vote for themselves.
“It’s surely a far greater concern if people who do not live in Cornwall for most of the year unduly influence the outcome of elections here.
“The Prime Minister is right to say that it is illegal to vote twice, but what good is that if Councils have no real process in place to check it does not happen?”
