With a week to go until the voter registration deadline, three social justice groups have teamed up to give migrants a voice.
The voter registration deadline for the upcoming local elections is next week, April 17th. And for three progressive campaigns, it’s high time to mobilise the migrant vote.
Anti-racism charity HOPE not hate, youth engagement campaign Bite The Ballot and EU citizens rights advocacy group the3million have come together with ice-cream company turned social justice crusaders Ben & Jerry’s in an effort to bring people to the ballot box.
The coming seven days, nicknamed Democracy Week, will bring information on voting registration and voters’ rights to colleges, universities, and community centres across London.
Of the 3,7 million European nationals living in Britain today, nearly a third live in the capital.
Elisabeth Pop, democratic engagement officer for HOPE not hate, said:
“Voting is the lifeblood of our democracy. Many people feel angry about the state of politics, while new migrant communities feel anxious about their future and unaware of their voting rights. It’s vitally important their voices are heard at the ballot box.”
Despite a rise in new voter engagement at last year’s general elections, voter registration remains at an all-time low. Turnout at local elections in particular continues to be significantly poor, with many unaware of their right to vote for their council representatives. Voter turnout at the last local elections was of just 39% across London – nearly half as many as those that came to the ballot box in 2010.
EU and EEA, as well as qualifying Commonwealth nationals, are able to vote alongside British citizens at local elections, when registered.
Bite the Ballot CEO, Michael Sani, said:
“It’s disappointing that we are still having to address issues like under representation and poor turnout at one of the oldest and wealthiest democracies in the world. My hope is that we solve this issue once and for all at its root, which is why we are working hard alongside our partners for changes to policy.
“It is the responsibility of all of us to ensure our communities are able to discuss and debate, free from prejudice and judgement, to find common ground and play an active role in building a more representative and accountable London, which we can all feel part of.”
The campaign will target Westminster and Middlesex universities, as well as four London boroughs, hoping to bring thousands of people to register to vote.
Joana Ramiro is a reporter for Left Foot Forward. You can follow her on Twitter for all sorts of rants here.
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