Campaign: Give EU migrants the right to vote in UK general elections

Title of the Campaign: Give EU migrants the right to vote in UK general elections

Purpose: To raise the profile for the need to EU citizens/migrants in the UK the right to vote in general elections

Campaign addressed to: General public who are interested in issues of enfranchisement

Rationale for the cause: I want to campaign to raise the profile of this area of mass disenfranchisement: EU migrants pay tax in the UK but they have no right to representation and this needs to change.

Text of the campaign: Currently decisions are being made about the future of the UK's relationship with the EU, and the rights of EU migrants in the UK. However EU migrants have no say in these debates and no way to influence policy because, unless they become UK citizens (a process that costs about £1,000), they cannot vote in UK general elections. Naturalisation (acquisition of UK citizenship) should not be the only way EU migrants, who are also citizens of the EU, can gain access to this fundamental right to vote. Rather, a period of residency (e.g. 2 years) should be sufficient to gain access to this key right to vote in the state in which you live and work. Moreover, the European Commission is supportive of the idea of granting migrants from other EU member states the right to vote in national elections. The have issued some recommendations for addressing the consequences of disenfranchisement of Union citizens exercising their rights to free movement.

Goal: 1000

Campaign created by: Ellie Knott

Related campaign you may be interested in: Petition: Revoke the decision to end British support for search-and-rescue operations for migrants in danger of drowning in the Mediterranean