Council checking voting eligibility of EU residents

Wokingham Borough Council is contacting EU residents to check they are eligible to vote at future local and Police & Crime Commissioner elections following changes to national legislation.

Following the UK’s departure from the European Union, the voting rights for EU citizens living in England have changed as of 7 May 2024.

In order to register to vote, EU citizens need to meet specific eligibility criteria based on their country of origin and when they began residing in the UK.

Two groups of EU citizens will continue to have voting rights:

• Qualified EU citizens from countries with reciprocal voting arrangements, who have leave or do not require it, to remain in the UK. These countries are Denmark, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal and Spain
• EU citizens who were residing in the UK before the end of the EU Withdrawal Agreement Implementation Period, which was on 31 December 2020

Andrew Moulton, electoral registration officer at Wokingham Borough Council, said: “Although the changes to eligibility only affect a small percentage of people, it is vital that all EU residents who meet the new requirements are able to vote at future elections. Read the correspondence carefully, as it will tell you if we think you need to respond and details how the process will work.”

What to do if you are contacted

The council will send out emails and letters on Thursday 12 September. All EU citizens will be asked to confirm if they are still eligible to vote in some UK elections. It may, however, ask for additional information if their eligibility is unclear, which will be used to confirm if they are still eligible.

If you confirm that you no longer meet the eligibility criteria, or do not provide the requested details, your right to vote will be withdrawn.

If you have received a letter confirming that you meet the new requirements, no action is required and you will remain eligible to vote in upcoming local elections, as well as Police and Crime Commissioner elections.

Those who receive a letter or email asking for further information to confirm their eligibility should follow the instructions provided in the correspondence.

You can respond online, using the security codes provided, or complete the paper form and return it to the council.

If you have gained new citizenship, or changed your nationality since you last registered to vote, you must register again with your new nationality. Changes in your citizenship or nationality may affect your eligibility to vote in certain elections.

Further information is available about the changes on the Electoral Commission’s website and you can also contact the electoral services team for further information by email.