From May 2024, some EU citizens will not be able to vote and stand as a candidate in certain elections in England and Northern Ireland.

EU citizens will continue to be able to vote while they remain on the register, but will not be able to re-register once they are taken off after May 2024.

Changes

The Act removes the rights of some EU citizens to vote and stand in elections in England and Northern Ireland. The changes apply to:

  • local elections in England and Northern Ireland
  • elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly
  • elections for Police and Crime Commissioner in England and Wales

These changes will not apply to local and devolved elections in Scotland and Wales.

EU citizens where the UK Government has negotiated agreements with EU Members States to allow its citizens living in the UK to vote, in return for the same right for UK citizens living in that country, will still be able to vote and stand in elections.

So far these agreements have been made with:

  • Spain
  • Portugal
  • Luxembourg
  • Poland

Other EU citizens who were living in the UK before the end of the EU Withdrawal Agreement Implementation Period (up until 1 January 2021) will also still be able to vote and stand in elections.

The changes will not affect citizens of the Republic of Ireland or citizens of Commonwealth nations.

Our role

We will support Electoral Registration Officers and their teams to update the electoral registers and provide guidance on who is and is not eligible to register to vote. 

We will communicate with EU citizens in different ways to make sure they understand whether they can vote at elections. We will also update the paper registration application forms and canvass communications to reflect these changes, and ensure they are clear and straightforward for voters to use.

We will communicate with candidates, through communication channels with parties and campaign groups, to make sure they understand how this change affects their eligibility to stand for election.