Regardless of what anybody thinks of voting, the idea of voting is not the issue. It appears that this Election, registration to vote does not, in fact, guarantee that you are registered to vote.

Liverpool City Council, for example, thinks that 20,000 people might have dropped off the register. The experience of the Electorate is different. People are turning up to Vote and finding they are off the register. Despite being sent a letter by Liverpool City Council saying, "you are on the register - no action required". There is no real guess as to how many people this has happened to.

The letter has been sent to some people who do end up with a polling card and some people who do not end up with a polling card. It all smacks of one of three things: gross negligence, gross incompetence or gross criminality. It smacks of something - even if you do not vote.

The election is regarded as close. The changes in the registration system have removed the paper trail of registration. Instead there are lots of non-commital marketing messages. None of which actually say: we have abolished your vote. Democracy is over, go back to your caves.

Vote Refusers are able to give a critique of why voting is pointless. Unless those Vote Refusers now start to stand up and make constructive and effective suggestions for engaging politically they are merely muddying the waters of democratic power.

Yes, democracy is thin on the ground: different debate. Yes voting does not change anything: different debate.

The question is: why are so many people dropping off the electoral register and only finding out when they turn up to vote?