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A HOMELESS man says he’s being denied an independence vote because he doesn’t sleep rough.

Officials told him he could not register to take part in the referendum from a friend’s address.

But they said that if he lived on a park bench, in a bus shelter or in a shop doorway, he’d get a vote.

The would-be voter, who wants to be named only as John, said: “This is a real insult. Do they think homeless people are all idiots who live on park benches, don’t know what they are taking about and are intoxicated all the time?

“I’m undecided in this vote and as a Scotsman who has no fixed abode, wanted a chance to have my say.

“But the council seem to want to deny me that right because I don’t fit into their homeless category of living in a shop doorway.”

John applied to register to vote at his friend Michael Farrell’s address in Castlemilk, Glasgow, under a scheme called declaration of local connection.

It allows people with no permanent address to list a place where they spend most of their time so they can vote in that area.

But because Michael’s property is not classed as homeless accommodation, the city council rejected John’s application to vote.

In a letter, Hugh Munro, their electoral registration officer, told him: “I am of the opinion that your application cannot be allowed as you do not meet the necessary homeless criteria.

“This address may be, for example, a park bench, a bus shelter or the doorway to a high street store.”

John, 38, works on short-term contracts and sometimes lives in bed and breakfasts and hotels.

He said yesterday he thought the letter of rejection from the council was a wind-up when he and Michael opened it.

He said: “We just could not believe they’d said that.”

Michael added: “At first it seemed like a joke but I soon realised it was pretty demeaning.

“Where do they expect to send his polling card to; the third bench along in the park?

“This is a proud guy who doesn’t sleep rough.

“I organised it for him because he wanted to vote but the council is suggesting you’re only homeless if you live on a park bench or a bus shelter.”

Yes campaigner Michael, 28, posted the council letter on Facebook on Wednesday night and it has been shared 2500 times.

He added: “I’ve been encouraging people to sign up to vote and thought I was just helping out a friend.

“I’m now thinking about finding him a shop doorway and organising a bit of a housewarming party.”

Michael’s MSP, the SNP’s James Dornan, called the letter “unacceptable” and said: “It is only right that the council should apologise over this incident.

“As well as an apology I am looking for an assurance there are not any more examples of this.

“We need a commitment to ensure that as many people as possible are able to take part in the democratic process.”

A spokeswoman for the council stressed the wording of their letter was the same as Electoral Commission guidelines and it was sent out because John had given an address which could go on the voters’ roll.

She said fewer than five people had registered to a place such as a park bench or bus shelter.

The spokeswoman added: “The letter sent to the person being referred to on Facebook is a standard letter.

“We are reviewing the contents of this standard letter so that it is clear and concise. To be clear, we are not suggesting that this person is not eligible for the declaration of local connection as they have not put down their address as a park bench or a shop doorway – it was because they listed an address.

“If you have no fixed abode you still have the right to register and to vote.”

The Electoral Commission’s website says anyone with no fixed address can register to vote using the declaration of local connection form.

It adds: “If you are homeless, you can give details of where you spend a substantial part of your time.”

Graeme Brown, director of homeless charity Shelter Scotland, said: “We know the significant challenges faced by homeless people in registering to vote.

“That is why we launched a joint voter registration campaign this week targeted at people living in rented, homeless or temporary accommodation.

“We know that people in these groups are among the most under-represented on the voting register.

“We are aware of this particular situation and have asked for more information to see if we can help resolve the issue.

“It is important that people who want to vote can do so and we hope that, in this case, a solution can be found to enable this person to register and cast their vote.”