An independent evaluation has found that the Right to Vote campaign, run by SRC and the Electoral Commission was ‘successful on multiple levels’.
The right to vote in Scottish elections was granted to people with refugee status and leave to remain by the Scottish Parliament in February 2020.
The campaign then focused on encouraging New Scots to register to vote ahead of the 2021 Scottish Parliamentary elections.
One person voting for the first time said: “It’s a beautiful moment for me to vote for the first time in my life.”
The evaluation found
- The campaign was successful on multiple levels, leaving many New Scots and other advocates jubilant about what had been achieved
- This success importantly translated into different avenues of empowerment based on whether individuals were involved in achieving the right to vote, in actually voting in the May 2021 Scottish Parliament elections, or whether they were just informed that the right to vote now existed
- The campaign showed the strength of refugee-led movements and the importance of supporting grassroots organisations and networks, which are primed to mobilise at short notice in support of marginalised communities’ rights
The evaluation’s suggested learnings for the future included
- Providing information on the political system more gradually so as not to overwhelm voters
- Developing resources that can inform New Scots about what the political parties stand for so that they can exercise a meaningful choice at the ballots
- Addressing voter’s concerns about why they had been given the right to vote and why this issue had received so much attention
- Ensuring that the political education campaigns reached more, and more diverse, communities of New Scots
Graham O’Neill, Policy Manager, Scottish Refugee Council said: “The success of the right to vote campaign is down to the hard work and energy of community groups and dedicated individuals across Scotland. It’s heartening to see their work praised and its impact recognised by this positive evaluation. I hope we can take the lessons from this campaign to continue to fight for the right to vote for people seeking asylum, and for fairness and humanity for all people seeking protection in Scotland.”
Read the full evaluation here.
