Our Home Our Vote
We believe every resident should have a right to vote. Agree?
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Why we believe in Residence-Based Voting Rights (RBVR)
FAIR APPROACH
Democracy works better when we all participate.
Migrants are key members of UK society and must have a say in how services are run at least at the local level where change is so directly seen.
SIMPLER SYSTEM
Voters do not need any more barriers to political engagement.
Currently, the different rules on who can vote in which election causes confusion amongst voters, activists, and even politicians.
All residents should have the right to vote in local elections for better clarity and ease of registration.
LEVELLING UP
In Scotland and Wales, residence-based voting rights is a reality for all residents.
Countries including Belgium, New Zealand, and South Korea have chosen the same path.
England and Northern Ireland should follow the lead and extend the franchise.
Who can currently vote?
Over 1 million residents in England and Northern Ireland do not have the right to vote at all because of where they were born. These are our friends from countries like Brazil, the US, Syria, Ukraine and many many more.
They live, work, study, and pay taxes in the UK. Yet, they have no right to vote at all.
It doesn’t need to be this way. Scotland and Wales have extended the franchise to all residents, no matter where they are from. Help us achieve the same in England and Northern Ireland.
Our Supporters
“I think we should have the right to vote because we work and pay taxes, we are part of society, and the consequences of elections are also ours.”
Juliane Campanha, Brazilian resident in London
“I support Residence-based voting rights because it’s only fair that people who pay council tax have a say on how their services are run. Britain’s strength has always been its global outlook so bringing more people to our local democratic process can only reinforce that. Spreading democracy, especially at a time when it is in retreat in many places, is an important signal we should be making.”
Cllr Gio Spinella, Camden Borough Council, Conservatives
“The Council tax bill does not ask you where you were born or what citizenship you have. It is only fair that all residents in the UK have a say on how their local services are run. Think about some of the services councils offer - from green spaces, community centres and youth services, to social care and COVID recovery programmes - these are things that affect us all. A residence-based voting rights model is already implemented and works well in Scotland and Wales. Surely it is good enough for the whole UK.”
Cllr Alexandrine Kantor, South Oxfordshire District Council, Liberal Democrats
“Cambridgeshire and Peterborough are amongst the most diverse areas in the UK. Many thousands in communities across the country would gain the right to vote if we introduced residence-based voting rights. As Mayor, I want to speak for and be a representative for everyone in the area, regardless of where they were born.”
Dr Nik Johnson, Labour and Cooperative Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
We’ve been working with our partners at POMOC on the Our Home Our Vote campaign
Help us campaign with a donation!
Policy and advocacy
We have made many a lot of progress towards extending the right to vote to all residents. Find out what politicians have been saying about the campaign and take action yourself!
Our work in the media
Find out more about our media work on voting rights - and pitch your blog post idea on voting rights!