Dear fellow EU citizen,
Your voice matters. For democracy to work for everyone, every voice must be heard!
We are proud to be one of the partner organisations of London Voter Registration Week, reaching out to EU Londoners and beyond. EU citizens are one of the most underrepresented groups in UK democracy, so it is important we spread the word to our EU citizen friends.
We'd like to share with you the resources from the London Voter Registration week, regardless of where you are. You can use the infographics, images and videos on your own social media - you can download them here. There are also resources in various community languages.
Here are some less known facts which are important when we speak with others about voter registration:
- There is no need for a National Insurance Number (NINo) to register to vote.
- One needs to register to vote again if they change address - don't miss out on your vote!
- Students in the UK can register to vote both at their home and university addresses. For national elections, students can only vote once. For local elections, if the home and university addresses are in different council areas, students can vote in both areas. More information here.
Some of you may wonder if our democratic rights as EU citizens are protected. Currently, EU citizens can vote in local elections in England and Northern Ireland. In Scotland and Wales, all residents, regardless of nationality, can vote in all elections there.
The Elections Bill is now in Parliament and proposes to restrict voting rights.
If it becomes law, it will only preserve the right to vote in local elections in England and Northern Ireland for EU citizens who are covered by the Withdrawal Agreement (with pre-settled or settled status) but our family and friends who came here on a visa will be denied unless they are nationals of countries who have a bilateral agreement with the UK on voting rights (so far, Spain, Portugal, Poland and Luxembourg have such agreements with the UK).
The Young Europeans Network at the3million, in partnership with Polish Migrants Organise for Change (POMOC), is leading the #OurHomeOurVote campaign, arguing that local election voting rights should be for everyone and in all parts of the UK, not only in Scotland and Wales. If you would like to find out more or volunteer for this campaign, please check our campaign website.
The UK is our home, and our voices matter.
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