UK prime minister outlines who can vote in referendum

[webfact]

UK prime minister outlines who can vote in referendum
By DANICA KIRKA

LONDON (AP) — Britain's prime minister outlined who will be allowed to vote in referendum on whether or not the country should remain in the European Union on Monday, opting for rules that exclude most voters from the 28-nation bloc who live in the U.K.

Prime Minister David Cameron announced the parameters ahead of introducing legislation Thursday in Parliament to organize the ballot.

His plans also include a tour of European capitals to press his case that the EU needs to be reformed, hoping that the upcoming vote will focus minds that Britain is determined to enact change. Cameron plans to travel to Denmark, the Netherlands, France, Poland and Germany this week as part of his efforts to talk with all of the leaders of the EU member states before the June European Council late next month.

Under the referendum measure, the vote will be open to the same voters allowed to normally vote in British elections — rather than rules that are used for European Parliament elections. The rules would exclude for example, a French citizen working in London but not qualifying Commonwealth citizens and Republic of Ireland citizens who are eligible to vote if registered. U.K. nationals resident abroad for less than 15 years will also be able to vote.

The question is important because so many non-British EU nationals live in Britain — nearly 2.8 million. Some have argued that they should have a right to vote on something material to their future.

There would be exceptions, most notably in regard to Gibraltar, a British territory. Though situated at the tip of the Iberian Peninsula, Gibraltar resolutely wishes to remain separate from Spain, though public opinion has been staunchly pro-EU.

The chief minister of Gibraltar, Fabian Picardo, praised Cameron for being "true to his word," on giving the territory's residents a chance to vote.

"As a British part of the EU, our voice will be heard as part of the franchise for this seminal exercise in democracy," he said in a statement. "We are working closely with the prime minister and his government to ensure the necessary framework for the EU referendum is in place in Gibraltar at the same time as in the U.K."


-- (c) Associated Press 2015-05-25

[emilymat]

I remember that Gibraltar referendum about the UK/Spain. I think there were about 3 votes to link with Spain.

ON the OP issue, although many people were caught out by the delay in receiving the postal ballot recently, it might be OK for the referendum. As there are no list of candidates, just a simple question, postal ballots should be able to be sent out much earlier. I hope proxy voting will be available.

[Shiver]

Shouldn't it be based on if you pay taxes there, you get a say in how they're spent?

To me the origin country of residents has less relevance than those who contribute in a meaningful way to the society. It's a bit of a sticky question with no binary solution, yet I can't help but wonder about the consequences a system where those who were voted in are now controlling who can vote.

Edited May 25, 2015 by Shiver

[farangmick]

Cameron is quite right. Immigrants from other EU countries would naturally vote to stay in the EU, since they profit hugely from over-generous benefits and the right of free movement. The vast majority of immigrants are in low paid jobs and whatever small amount of tax they pay is vastly outweighed by the subsidised housing, education and health care funded by the rest of us. Unfortunately I have to get a new passport before the referendum, it took me hours sat in planes to scratch "European Union" from my current one, and now I shall have to do it all over again.

[Basil B]

So where the news?

Obvious I would have thought, those eligible to vote in parliamentary elections, may be those expats working in Europe should have the vote though.

[DDuval]

Cameron is quite right. Immigrants from other EU countries would naturally vote to stay in the EU, since they profit hugely from over-generous benefits and the right of free movement. The vast majority of immigrants are in low paid jobs and whatever small amount of tax they pay is vastly outweighed by the subsidised housing, education and health care funded by the rest of us. Unfortunately I have to get a new passport before the referendum, it took me hours sat in planes to scratch "European Union" from my current one, and now I shall have to do it all over again.

Here, Here.....Well said. One thing that's always overlooked on the immigration issue is immigrants paying small tax in comparison to what they take out via public services. Not to mention most of the money they make is sent via envelopes out of the Uk economy

[JockPieandBeans]

Cameron is quite right. Immigrants from other EU countries would naturally vote to stay in the EU, since they profit hugely from over-generous benefits and the right of free movement. The vast majority of immigrants are in low paid jobs and whatever small amount of tax they pay is vastly outweighed by the subsidised housing, education and health care funded by the rest of us. Unfortunately I have to get a new passport before the referendum, it took me hours sat in planes to scratch "European Union" from my current one, and now I shall have to do it all over again.

Here, Here.....Well said. One thing that's always overlooked on the immigration issue is immigrants paying small tax in comparison to what they take out via public services. Not to mention most of the money they make is sent via envelopes out of the Uk economy

Never mind small envelopes.

Just take a look at how at Western Union has exploded in the UK over the last 20 years.

[JockPieandBeans]

Cameron is quite right. Immigrants from other EU countries would naturally vote to stay in the EU, since they profit hugely from over-generous benefits and the right of free movement. The vast majority of immigrants are in low paid jobs and whatever small amount of tax they pay is vastly outweighed by the subsidised housing, education and health care funded by the rest of us. Unfortunately I have to get a new passport before the referendum, it took me hours sat in planes to scratch "European Union" from my current one, and now I shall have to do it all over again.

Here, Here.....Well said. One thing that's always overlooked on the immigration issue is immigrants paying small tax in comparison to what they take out via public services. Not to mention most of the money they make is sent via envelopes out of the Uk economy

Never mind small envelopes.

Just take a look at how at Western Union has exploded in the UK over the last 20 years.

[ResandePohm]

So where the news?

Obvious I would have thought, those eligible to vote in parliamentary elections, may be those expats working in Europe should have the vote though.

They do have a vote so do you (assuming you are a Brit) living in Los. Qualifying factor is that you have not lived outside the UK for more than 15 years.

[Jonmarleesco]

Marvellous. More than 15 years overseas, and a British citizen can no longer vote. Yet a citizen of another country (the Commonwealth, Gibraltar - albeit a British dependency - and the Irish Republic) can.

At the same time, there are non-British EU nationals residing in Britain, some of whom have argued that they should have a right to vote on something material to their future. I beg to differ. We had no say in signing up to fund the world's largest gravy train, or to bailing out grossly inefficient French farmers. Why the hell should foreign residents now have a say in whether or not we stay in?

[7by7]

Commonwealth and Irish citizens can only vote if UK residents. Whether that is right and fair, I will leave to others to argue.

We did have a say in joining, or rather remaining in. In the 1975 referendum over 67% of voters voted to remain in what was then the EEC.

Of course, one can argue, and I often have, that what is now the EU is very different to the EEC I and many others voted to remain in. Remember the promise that membership of the EEC would have no detrimental effect on British sovereignty?

However, I believe that the advantages of British membership far outweigh the disadvantages.

One thing many people are unaware of is that leaving the EU would have no effect on European migrants coming to the UK, nor British migrants going to other European countries.

The freedom of movement directive applies not only to European Union states, but European Economic Area ones as well. EEA members are as bound by it as EU members are.

All EU members are also members of the EEA (except Croatia, whose EEA membership is awaiting ratification), but not all EEA members are also members of the EU.

So if the UK were to leave the EU it would still be bound by the directive, unless it also left the EEA.

Leaving the EU would cause enough problems; leaving the EEA as well could be disastrous for the UK's trade with Europe; by far our biggest export market.

[Srikcir]

Having exposure with decades of the EU's political and economic complexities I have to question whether the ASEAN Economic Community will have the same fortitude, intellect, and maturity in establishing a successful regional geopoltical institution.

Especially problemtaic is the current Thai government that sees its role as being the ASEAN Hub. It currently has the worse economic structure and restrictive form of governance, Thailand is hardly a role model for the other ASEAN nations to emulate or follow as an economic bloc. Until Thailand establishes a credible pluralistic government, I see Vietnam, Indoneasia, and Malaysia becoming the mainstay of ASEAN.

[Basil B]

Marvellous. More than 15 years overseas, and a British citizen can no longer vote. Yet a citizen of another country (the Commonwealth, Gibraltar - albeit a British dependency - and the Irish Republic) can.

At the same time, there are non-British EU nationals residing in Britain, some of whom have argued that they should have a right to vote on something material to their future. I beg to differ. We had no say in signing up to fund the world's largest gravy train, or to bailing out grossly inefficient French farmers. Why the hell should foreign residents now have a say in whether or not we stay in?

"More than 15 years overseas, and a British citizen can no longer vote." I would agree if all their income was subject to, and they paid their due taxes to HMRC.

Edited May 25, 2015 by Basil B

[emilymat]

The 'electorate' in any election or referendum is always going to throw up controversy and anomalies.

For instance, how many non-Scots, who qualified by residency voted in the independence referendum last year and how many Scots, living and working outside Scotland, in say northern England, could not.

I certainly agree with the proposal to confine the voting to the electoral roll, as used in general elections and not local elections.

[englishoak]

The UK is NOT going to leave the EU, by hook or by crook it will be "arranged" that way .... just the same as Scotland was never going to get a yes to leaving the UK...

You'll notice Camer*** wont give a choice to 16 or 17 year olds in this referendum unlike Scotlands............ theres a few million less to worry about ticking to leave.

Its all a sham the UK isnt going anywhere, its all just for show.

[Lokie]

I reckon most of the teenagers would vote to stay in, they have more affinity to Europe after the years of indoctrination at schools about united peoples of europe and all that claptrap