Northern Ireland's electoral register has been cut by 110,000 people since the Westminster election in June 2001, following new electoral rules to eradicate electoral fraud.
The new rules introduced last year on voter registration have seen the number of names on the Northern Ireland electoral register decline by 8.42 per cent from just under 1.2 million voters in June 2001 to just under 1.1 million this September.
The reduction has been most marked in the constituencies of South, North and West Belfast. The register in South Belfast, which includes the area around Queen's University, declined by 14.1 per cent to just over 51,000, while North Belfast saw a decline of 13.9 per cent. West Belfast dropped by 13.6 per cent.
According to the figures, compiled by the Northern Ireland Electoral Office, the reduction was much less marked in rural constituencies west of the Bann.
Mid-Ulster saw the smallest drop of 3.8 per cent, while Fermanagh/South Tyrone declined by 5.1 per cent. In the December 2002 register, the first to be compiled under the new rules, there was a drop of 126,079 voters, or 10.5 per cent.
However, in the nine months to September 2003, the register had climbed back up by 25,000 following approaches by parties that constituents had been omitted entirely. The issue of alleged electoral fraud has been one of major controversy, with accusations of various party activists registering at multiple addresses.
Under legislation introduced in May 2002, each voter is now required to fill out their details annually, providing address details and a national insurance number.
This data is collected on an annual basis by staff of the Electoral Commission. The system is also computerised to prevent double registration in different constituencies. The SDLP has claimed the new rules were necessary. "For a long number of years the SDLP has been campaigning for tighter regulation and rules in order to maximise public confidence in the register ... and that we can all be sure is a true reflection of those eligible to vote," a spokesman said.
The new rules have criticised by Sinn Féin, however, which claimed it has resulted in a "disenfranchisement" of voters.
A spokesman for the party rejected suggestions that the reduction was due to the elimination of electoral fraud. He claimed the work by the Electoral Office was "shabby to say the least". "If you compare the electoral register with the last census, there's 120,000 of a difference," he said.