Victims of domestic violence in England and Wales will soon have the right to register to vote anonymously.
Changes in the law will enable survivors of abuse to vote without using their address which could potentially identify them.
Women’s Aid says that many victims of domestic abuse do not exercise their right to vote as they are afraid of being tracked down by their address.
The charity’s chief executive Katie Ghose said: “For too long these women have been silenced because it was too dangerous for them to sign up to an electoral register, which would reveal their location, and too difficult for them to register anonymously.
“For them, anonymity is a matter of life or death; with the very real threat of being hunted down by their perpetrator”.
Currently, in order to vote anonymously, domestic violence victims must supply a court order or have their application supported by a senior independent witness, such as a senior police officer, according to The Metro.
Proposed changes would allow doctors, nurses and refuge managers to the list of people who can act as an attester and lower the rank of police officers authorised to perform the function.
The type of evidence used to support a claim of domestic abuse will also be expanded.
Changes to the law are a result of the Right to Vote campaign which was set up by Mehala Osborne, who experienced domestic violence.
According to The Independent, Mehala had to leave her home because of an abusive relationship.
She said: “I was denied a vote whilst living in a refuge, and I never realised how much having a vote meant until it was taken away from me.
“I had already been through enough, and to be disempowered even more was so difficult”.
Unfortunately, these changes were not implemented in time for those wishing to vote anonymously in the 2017 General Election.
The changes are expected to particularly benefit women who have left a refuge but are still in hiding from an abusive partner.
In a press release issued today, Chris Skidmore, Minister for the Constitution said: “Ensuring every eligible person is able to vote is a matter of social justice.
“Every voice matters and this Government will continue to encourage our record levels of democratic participation by ensuring we have a democracy that works for everyone”.
