Scottish Refugee Council has drawn up a manifesto for refugee protection.
We will be looking more closely at each of our key manifesto asks in the lead-up to the general election, and at events which have happened recently to bring these points into focus. We encourage you to read each party’s manifesto on refugee protection.
All residents in the UK, including refugees and people seeking asylum, should have the right to vote in all elections.
We are currently working to extend voting rights to all refugees and asylum seekers in Scotland, in light of the Scottish Elections (Franchise and Representation) Bill 2019. The Stage 1 report on this bill was published recently.
We submitted written and oral evidence (including input from consultation sessions with refugee communities), and facilitated a session for the Committee to hear from refugee communities directly about their views on the Bill.
Our evidence is quoted extensively throughout the report.
Find out more about our work on voting rights for people with or seeking refugee protection.
This week we have been attending hustings with community members who cannot vote, to ensure that people’s voices are heard in this election.
Some examples of what parties (A-Z) are saying in their manifestos on voting rights. We encourage you to click through to each party and read their manifesto in full.
Brexit: “Reform voting system to make it more representative.”
Conservatives: “ID at voting stations (48); Maintain the ban on prisoners voting from jail; Get rid of 15 year limit on British expats voting (48); Maintain voting age at 18 – “the age at which one gains full citizenship rights.” (48)”
Green Party: “16+17 year olds right to vote & stand (35); Extending votes to 16-year-olds and all those normally resident in the country (12) (Scottish Greens)”
Labour: “Full voting rights to all UK residents (82); Voting rights for everyone from 16 (82); making sure everyone who is entitled to vote can do so by introducing a system of automatic voter registration, and abandoning plans to introduce voter ID which has been shown to harm democratic rights. (82)”
Liberal Democrats: “Right to vote and stand for all EU citizens who have lived in the UK for five years or more; Legal requirement on local authorities to inform citizens of the steps they must take to be successfully registered with far greater efforts to register under-represented groups”
SNP: “Extend franchise to 16+17 year olds (43); Scottish Elections & Westminster Elections franchise to include EU citizens and those with right to remain (43)”
UKIP: “British citizens only voting and over 18 years old (34); ID cards at polling stations (34)”
