HUNDREDS of thousands of people across Hampshire could have held the key to vital seats in today’s general election – but are not registered to vote.

Figures revealed by the Daily Echo show that 41,642 fewer people are registered to vote in south Hampshire than in 2015.

For the 2017 election, 712,669 out of an estimated eligible population of 1.05 million registered to vote across constituencies in south Hampshire which includes Gosport, Fareham, Meon Valley, Winchester, Romsey and Southampton North, New Forest East and West, Southampton Test and Itchen.

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John Denham, professor of politics at the University of Winchester and former Southampton Itchen MP, believes a change in the law which introduced individual voter registration has deterred people from voting.

He said: “The change in the election rules have made it more difficult for people to vote, meaning thousands of people have also been left out and disadvantaged by the new system.

“It used to be that the head of the household used to register the entire household while the university used to register all the new students, but now it means every single person has to register individually.

“I would much rather have a system that would make a more proactive attempt to put people on the register.”

Councillor Sean Woodward, leader of Fareham Borough Council, said: “The only way you can have a say on the future of this country is to vote.

“If you haven’t registered to vote then you cannot have a say in how government can be shaped.”

“The reason for voter decline, however, varies on a number of degrees ranging from people moving house to those having multiple addresses such as students.”

Councillor Satvir Kaur, Shirley councillor on Southampton City Council, said: “The electoral changes meant thousands of people have dropped off the register and losing the privilege to vote.

She added: “The snap general election was called too quickly, giving voters too little time to digest the information offered in manifestos.

“People are also getting tired of having election after election, leaving many people questioning why it was called.

“It’s a massive blow for democracy as it’s all about getting people engaged to help decide their country’s future.”

In 2015, the Daily Echo reported that 22,000 people had disappeared from the electoral roll in preceding 12 months within the newspaper’s circulation area alone.

A cabinet office spokeswoman said individual registration was essential to tackle electoral fraud.

She said: “We have worked hard with local authorities for years now to clean up the register – any entries removed will be people who have moved house, died or never existed because they were registered fraudulently,” she said.

A YouGov poll has found young people could be a major factor in deciding the election. Among 18 to 24-year-olds, 71 per cent supported Labour compared with 15 per cent for the Tories.

But Theresa May’s party is strongly favoured by voters aged 65 and over, who are considered more likely to vote, by 62 per cent to Labour’s 19 per cent.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics also suggested a hung parliament would require a 78 per cent turnout across all ages.

In 2015, there was a 71 per cent turnout of the estimated total population of 1.1 million people in south Hampshire, compared with 66.1 per cent of the national average.

With queues expected at some polling stations, councils up and down the country are also advising people to plan their time to vote.

Mark Heath, the returning officer for Southampton, pictured inset left, said: “There is the potential for a high voter turnout on June 8 so I would encourage Southampton residents to take a few minutes to plan what time they will arrive at the polling station.

“Polling stations are open for 15 hours from 7am until 10pm. We will be fully resourced to minimise waiting times but queues may occur.”

“Voters who arrive at a polling station after 10pm will miss their chance to cast their vote, although registered voters who arrive at their polling station before 10pm and are in a queue will still be able to vote.