Coronavirus: Sadiq Khan urges voters to register for postal vote in order to take part in future elections

Exclusive: London mayor sees 'early voters' as key to victory in postponed City Hall poll in May 2021

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan speaks (Reuters)

London mayor Sadiq Khan is urging voters to register for a postal vote to be confident of being able to take part in future elections even if they are kept inside by future waves of coronavirus.

In a clear signal that he fears Covid-19 may still be a problem when he fights to hold onto City Hall in May 2021, the mayor launched a campaign to sign up 25,000 Londoners to postal voting over the summer.

Mr Khan stopped short of advocating all-postal ballots, but aides pointed to European Parliament elections in four regions of England in 2004 which saw turnout more than double when only mail-in votes were allowed.

With mayoral elections in the capital already delayed by a year from their scheduled date of May 2020 because of the coronavirus crisis, Mr Khan said that voters who opt for postal votes can “rest easy” that they will be able to take part in the postponed poll.

And he left no doubt that he sees boosting numbers of postal voters - who can cast their ballots early as much as two weeks before polling day - as a key part of his strategy for defeating Tory Shaun Bailey, Lib Dem Siobhan Benita and the Green Party’s Sian Berry next year.

“The Tories were already winning the general election two weeks before polling day because of early voters,” said Mr Khan. “Registering for an early vote takes two minutes and will make it easier for Labour to win in 2021 – and in future elections too.

“With the ongoing uncertainty around Covid-19, early voters can rest easy that, no matter what, they will be able to vote by post.

“Early votes aren’t just for older people or those who struggle to get to the polling station. They’re about making it easier and more convenient for all Londoners to vote – especially those with busy lives and those who need to stay inside during the Covid-19 crisis.”

The mayor said that evidence shows postal voters are nearly twice as likely to vote as those who turn out at polling stations, providing a means of keeping turnout up during the coronavirus crisis.

He urged Londoners to register for a postal vote via his website at www.sadiq.london/earlyvote.