More than 3 million people have registered since the election was called

A sharp rise in voter registration, predominantly among young people, has boosted Labour’s hopes in the general election.

Figures show more than 3 million people have registered since the election was called on 29 October.

More than two-thirds of those applications are from people under 34, who tend to be more favourable towards Labour than the Conservatives.

The Electoral Reform Society said the overall figure for registrations is 38% higher than the 2,315,893 applications to register in a similar period in the 2017 election.

There have been on average 114,000 registrations per day this time around, compared with 68,000 registrations per day in 2017.

It is estimated that around a million of those who registered were just being cautious and will already have been on the register, but that still leaves a large number of new applicants.

Q&A Do I need ID to vote in the 2019 general election? Show Hide There have been trials of voter ID in local elections and the Conservatives have stated that they want to bring in some form of UK-wide ID requirement for voting in the future, but for this election there is no change to the current system. You do not need to show ID to vote in England, Scotland and Wales in a general election. You don’t even need to bring your polling card. You just need to tell polling staff your name and address. They will then cross your name off the list and give you a ballot paper. If you’re voting in Northern Ireland, you must show photo ID. Only the following forms of ID will be accepted at polling stations in Northern Ireland: A UK, Irish or EEA driving licence (photographic part) (provisional accepted).

A UK or Irish passport.

An Electoral Identity Card.

A Translink Senior SmartPass.

A Translink 60+ SmartPass.

A Translink War Disabled SmartPass.

A Translink Blind Person’s SmartPass. Your photographic identification does not need to be current, so even if it is out of date you can still use it to vote. The presiding officer will have the final say over whether or not the photograph matches that of the person intending to vote. Find out more about voting in Northern Ireland. Martin Belam

Jess Garland, director of policy and research at the Electoral Reform Society, said: “This surge in registrations is highly encouraging, given the huge numbers missing from the electoral roll.

“We’re seeing a major uplift in new registrations compared to the last election, with large numbers of young people signing up too – a traditionally under-registered demographic. It’s vital we close the demographic divides in terms of who is registered. This is a strong start.

“However, since you cannot check whether you’re registered already, we estimate over a million of the registrations we’ve seen are likely to be duplicates.”

Politicians have been urging people to register to vote with just a few hours to go until the window closes at midnight on Tuesday.

Monday was the biggest day for voter registration so far, with 351,257 applications.

Q&A What is ‘tactical voting’? Show Hide Under the first-past-the-post voting system, tactical voting is when you vote for a party that you would not normally support in order to stop another party from winning. For example, in a constituency where the result is usually tight between a party you dislike and a party you somewhat dislike, and the party you support usually comes a distant third and has no chance of winning, you might choose to lend your vote to the party you somewhat dislike. This avoids ‘“wasting” your vote on a party that cannot win the seat, and boosting the chances that the party you dislike most will lose.

Ahead of the deadline and as the polls showed Labour narrowing the Tory lead, Jeremy Corbyn said: “There are less than 24 hours left to register to vote and it couldn’t be more important.

“On Friday, Labour, unlike the Tories, got behind National Voter Registration Day, and it saw the largest surge in people registering to vote in this general election campaign.

“Please take five minutes and register to vote now and please ask your friends, family, neighbours and co-workers to do the same.

“This election is a once in a generation chance for real change: to end privatisation and give the NHS the funding it needs, to give people the final say and get Brexit sorted, to tackle the climate emergency that threatens all our futures and to invest in good jobs in every region and nation of our country.”