A concerted drive to boost flagging turnout at Northern Ireland elections is to be supported by an advertising campaign unveiled today.
The Electoral Commission, which monitors and advises on electoral issues, is to press for higher levels of voter registration with the slogan "Secure your vote or lose your voice".
The campaign follows the abandonment of the annual requirement for voters to register in person to retain their place on the register.
Last month the British government used Miscellaneous Provisions legislation to allow voters to remain registered unless their personal details had changed.
The law on voter registration was dramatically tightened under the Electoral Fraud Act (2002) in an attempt to wipe out suspected illegal voting.
However the clampdown, which included annual registration, a requirement for each voter to register personally and to provide other personal information resulted in a substantial drop in the voter tally.
More than 100,000 names disappeared from the electoral register, with Gerry Adams's West Belfast constituency showing the biggest drop.
The downward trend in election turnout figures and fears expressed by political parties, especially Sinn Féin, that legitimate voters were removed from the register led to the change in policy.
Former Northern Ireland Office junior minister John Spellar signalled the change last year. He opted to reinstate the electoral register "carry forward" method, which was used before 2002.
Admitting concern about the drop in the number of voters who registered as a result of the legislation, Mr Spellar said last November: "There are concerns across the political spectrum that the requirement on voters to re-register and provide their personal identifiers afresh each year is leading to a downward drift in the overall numbers registered." He added: "The government is determined to ensure that as many people as possible both secure and use their right to vote.
"Our goal is an electoral register that is both as accurate and as comprehensive as possible." The Electoral Commission advertising campaign is particularly targeted at the young members of ethnic minorities, those with disabilities and voters living in less well-off areas.
The registration drive will include wider availability of registration forms. In addition to the possibility of downloading the required form from the internet, voters can also pick up a form from their place of work or study and at shopping centres.
Séamus Magee, who leads the commission, said: "The new theme will communicate a simple message: if you don't register to vote, you won't have a say on the issues that affect you."
To combat fraudulent entries on the register, the North's Chief Electoral Officer, Douglas Bain, will be able to check applications and personal details with information held by other state bodies.