Hundreds of thousands of people in Scotland could miss the opportunity to vote if there is a snap general election because they are not registered, campaigners have warned.

The Electoral Commission estimates that between 630,000 and 890,000 people in Scotland were missing from the local government electoral roll in December.

Figures for the parliamentary register are not available, however campaign group the Electoral Reform Society (ERS) said that as the Parliamentary register and local register "completeness" levels are almost the same, it fears that hundreds of thousands of people are also missing from it.

READ MORE: Former TV news anchor Mike Edwards says families affected by dementia face 'unimaginable hurdles'

The ERS is now calling for automatic registration to be introduced across the UK to ensure people do not lose out on the right to vote.

Dr Jess Garland, director of policy and research for the ERS, said: "These figures should sound the alarm for anyone who cares about democracy.

"Hundreds of thousands of potential voters in Scotland are effectively missing from the electoral roll, representing a major barrier to political equality and democratic engagement.

"That means any snap election will be on the basis of an flawed franchise.

"You shouldn't have to opt in to your right to vote.

"As the Electoral Commission says, we need to move towards automatic registration now, starting with being able to check you are registered online, and being able to register whenever you engage with government bodies or services.

"There's widespread consensus on this - now it just needs to be done."

READ MORE: Dementia carers say loved ones should be entitled to free health care like others with a terminal illness

Electoral Commission analysis found that in December 2018, parliamentary registers in Scotland were 84% complete and 87% accurate while local government registers were 83% complete and 86% accurate.

It found there were between 400,000 and 745,000 inaccurate entries on the local government registers that month.

The ERS is also concerned that the number of people registered to vote in Scotland has dropped despite the population rising, and an increase in the number eligible to be on the register through the adoption of votes at 16 and 17.

READ MORE: Is Twitter down? Tweetdeck and DMs impacted by service outage

Alice Kinghorn-Gray, campaigns officer for Electoral Reform Society Scotland, said: "That voter registration numbers are actually going down is deeply concerning.

"We urge the Scottish government to explore how it can use its powers to ensure everyone has a stake in our democracy.

"The gaps in registration are creating major inequalities in our elections, with young people and renters particularly affected.

"Parties must respond with action, and start to bring in the 'missing millions'.

"Let's ensure the next election does not exclude huge swathes of our country and instead represents the gold standard for participation."