MORE than 7,000 European Union citizens in Rugby are being updated about changes to their voting rights.
Rugby Borough Council (RBC) will contact every EU citizen registered to vote in Rugby following the introduction of new election rules.
The new rules, included in the previous government’s Elections Act 2022, remove the general right of EU citizens to register, vote or stand in certain elections.
Exemptions apply to ‘qualifying EU citizens’ from EU countries with reciprocal agreements with the UK – currently Denmark, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal and Spain – and ‘EU citizens with retained rights’ from other EU countries who were legally resident in the UK before December 31, 2020.
The new rules apply to all local council elections, mayoral elections, and elections for police and crime commissioners. EU citizens have never had the right to vote in General Elections.
RBC will contact those affected during an Eligibility Confirmation and Review (ECR).
During the review, all qualifying EU citizens and EU citizens with retained rights are due to receive written confirmation from the council of their eligibility to remain registered to vote.
In certain cases, EU citizens may be asked to confirm eligibility in order to remain on the electoral register.
Aftab Razzaq, Returning Officer for Rugby, said the majority of EU citizens currently registered to vote in Rugby belonged in the exempt groups.
He said: “We do not expect many of our registered voters from the EU to be impacted by the changes to eligibility, but we have to complete an ECR to comply with the new rules and give our EU citizens clarity on their voting rights.
“If you receive a letter from the council’s electoral services team confirming your voting and candidacy rights, there’s nothing more you need to do.
“If you receive a letter requesting confirmation of your eligibility to vote, please respond as quickly as possible so we can update the electoral register.”
The new rules also change EU citizens’ rights to stand as candidates in local elections. EU citizens who wish to stand for election must now have been legally resident in the UK before December 31 2020 or be a ‘qualifying EU citizen’ from either Denmark, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal or Spain.
None of the new rules affect the voting rights of citizens from Ireland, Malta or Cyprus who reside in the UK.
Visit www.rugby.gov.uk/EUcitizens for more information.
