EP Elections as a Tool for Migrant Political Participation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12797/Politeja.16.2019.63.06Keywords:
Participation, EP elections, EU citizens, Brexit, the United KingdomAbstract
The paper focuses on the European Parliament (EP) elections seen as a tool for migrant political participation. When migrating for work, EU migrants do not always consider naturalization as an optimal arrangement, being satisfied with rights connected with their EU citizenship. Therefore, in terms of voting strategies, they often limit their voting rights to those connected with the institutions of their country of birth. However, the particular political context might create additional motivation for participation in EP elections. I would argue that such a particular situation did occur in the United Kingdom in May 2019, when many EU migrants decided to exercise their right to vote in EP elections. Furthermore, many of them were then denied this right, which has been attributed by some to the lack of efficiency on part of British institutions. The paper will look at the institution of the European Parliament elections, analyzing both the normative justification of the formal arrangements and the empirical dimension of 2019 EP Elections in the United Kingdom in the context of the ongoing processes of Brexit.
Downloads
PlumX Metrics of this article
References
“The Administration of the June 2017 UK General Election. Report on the 8 June 2017 UK Parliamentary General Election”, The Electoral Commission, December 2017, at <https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/sites/default/files/pdf_file/The-administration-of-the-June-2017-UK-general-election.pdf>, 5 December 2019.
Google Scholar
Aylott N., “Britain: Political Parties Polarising”, in N. Bolin et al. (eds.), Euroflections. Leading Academics on the European Elections 2019, Sundsvall 2019, at <https://www.euroflections.se/globalassets/ovrigt/euroflections/euroflections_v3.pdf>.
Google Scholar
Blake A., “Population of the UK by Country of Birth and Nationality”, Office for National Statistics, 28 November 2019, at <https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/internationalmigration/datasets/populationoftheunitedkingdombycountryofbirthandnationality>, 5 December 2019.
Google Scholar
“Briefing for Panellists – Launch of ‘Let us Vote’ Campaign, 8 May 2019”, 3million organisation, at https://static.wixstatic.com/ugd/0d3854_1af1f4029ae24c98ae9a32ea0a6d8135.pdf, 7 November 2019.
Google Scholar
Buchan L., “Boris Johnson Urged to Apologise for ‘Scapegoating Migrants’ on Eve of General Election”, The Independent, 11 December 2019, at https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/boris-johnson-general-election-migrants-apology-eu-citizens-brexit-a9242121.html, 18 December 2019.
Google Scholar
Carter E., Loomes G., Lundberg T.C., “United Kingdom” in W. Gagatek (ed.), The 2009 Elections to the European Parliament: Country Reports, Florence 2010.
Google Scholar
“EU Settlement Scheme Statistics, November 2019. Experimental Statistics”, Home Office, 17 December 2019, at <https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/852619/eu-settlement-scheme-statistics-november-2019.pdf>, 18 December 2019.
Google Scholar
“European Election 2019: The UK’s Results in Maps and Charts”, BBC News, 27 May 2019, at https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-48403131, 5 December 2019.
Google Scholar
“European Parliament”, The Electoral Commission, at <https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/i-am-a/voter/types-elections/european-parliament>.
Google Scholar
“The European Parliamentary Elections and the Local Government Elections in England and Northern Ireland. May 2014. Report on the administration of the 22 May 2014 Elections”, The Electoral Commission, July 2014, at <https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/sites/default/files/pdf_file/EP-and-local-elections-report-May-2014.pdf>, 15 November 2019.
Google Scholar
“European Union Citizens – European Parliament Voter Registration Form (GB)”, The Electoral Commission, at https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/sites/default/files/2019-09/EU-citizen-European-Parliament-voter-registration-form-English.pdf, 5 December 2019.
Google Scholar
“Flash Eurobarometer 431. Summary. Electoral Rights”, European Commission, March 2016, at https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/info/files/2016-summary-flash-eurobarometer-431-electoral-rights_en.pdf, 5 December 2019.
Google Scholar
“Frekwencja w wyborach 2019 r. do Parlamentu Europejskiego. Gmina zagranica”, Państwowa Komisja Wyborcza, at https://pe2019.pkw.gov.pl/pe2019/pl/frekwencja/Koniec/gm/149901, 15 December 2019.
Google Scholar
“Frekwencja w wyborach 2019 r. do Sejmu. Wielka Brytania”, Państwowa Komisja Wyborcza, at https://wybory.gov.pl/sejmsenat2019/pl/frekwencja/Koniec/sejm/gm/826, 15 December 2019.
Google Scholar
Graham-Harrison E., “‘Vote in Your Own Country’: EU Citizens Tell of UK Poll Chaos”, The Guardian, 23 May 2019, at https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/may/23/vote-inyour-own-country-eu-citizens-turned-away-from-uk-polls, 2 December 2019.
Google Scholar
Hatton N., “#DeniedMyVote Was Unlawful – Help the3million Challenge The Government”, Crowd Justice, at https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/denied/, 5 December 2019.
Google Scholar
Hatton N., t3m Complaint to the Electoral Commission in Advance of the European Elections, 21 May 2019, at https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/0d3854_a5410691f62646978aebeea05157ef2b.pdf, 5 December 2019.
Google Scholar
“Inquiry Report: The Voting Registration Process for EU Citizens Resident in the UK for the 2019 European Parliamentary Elections Held in the UK”, The Electoral Commission, at https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/who-we-are-and-what-we-do/elections-and-referendums/past-elections-and-referendums/european-parliamentary-elections/inquiry-report-voting-registration-process-eu-citizens-resident-uk-2019-european-parliamentary, 15 December 2019.
Google Scholar
Kubin T., “Wyjście Wielkiej Brytanii z Unii Europejskiej a zróżnicowanie integracji w UE”, Studia Europejskie, vol. 1 (2018).
Google Scholar
Lilleker D., “Voter Psychology in the Age of Anger: UK 2019”, in N. Bolin et al. (eds.), Euroflections. Leading Academics on the European Elections 2019, Sundsvall 2019, at https://www.euroflections.se/globalassets/ovrigt/euroflections/euroflections_v3.pdf, 5 December 2019.
Google Scholar
Newbold P., Piggott L., Post-European Elections Poll 2019, 27 June 2019, at <https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/sites/default/files/2019-10/YouGov-%20Electoral%20Commission%20-%20Post-EU%20Elections%202019_report.pdf>, 5 November 2019.
Google Scholar
Poptcheva E.-M., Disenfranchisement of EU Citizens Resident Abroad. Situation in National and European Elections in EU Member States, European Parliamentary Research Service, 18 August 2015, https://doi.org/10.2861/115885.
Google Scholar
“Population by Country of Birth and Nationality QMI”, Office for National Statistics, at https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/internationalmigration/methodologies/populationbycountryofbirthandnationalityqmi, 5 December 2019.
Google Scholar
“Report: May 2019 European Parliamentary Elections and Local Elections”, The Electoral Commission, at https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/who-we-are-and-what-we-do/electionsand-referendums/past-elections-and-referendums/european-parliamentary-elections/report-may-2019-european-parliamentary-elections-and-local-elections, 5 December 2019.
Google Scholar
Rix K., Electoral Commission Reply to t3m Complaint, 29 May 2019, at https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/0d3854_c37e17ebac204c949a88a0b4e9420aca.pdf, 5 December 2019.
Google Scholar
Ruszkowski J., Parlament Europejski. Dynamika instytucjonalna i kompetencyjna, Szczecin 2010.
Google Scholar
Smets K., “United Kingdom: European Elections in the Run-Up to Brexit”, in L. De Sio, M.N. Franklin, L. Russo (eds.), The European Parliament Elections of 2019, Roma 2019.
Google Scholar
“Statement by the European Council (Art. 50) on the UK notification”, European Council, 29 March 2017, at http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2017/03/29/euco-50-statement-uk-notification/, 15 November 2019.
Google Scholar
Therrien A., Gillett F., “EU Citizens in UK Turned away from Polls”, BBC News, 23 May 2019, at https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-48384000, 5 December 2019.
Google Scholar
Tilindyte L., “EU Citizenship Rights. Briefing”, European Parliamentary Research Service, March 2017, at <https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2017/599361/EPRS_BRI(2017)599361_EN.pdf>, 5 December 2019.
Google Scholar
Vargas-Silva C., Fernández-Reino M., “EU Migration to and from the UK”, Migration Observatory, 30 September 2019, at https://migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/briefings/eu-migration-to-and-from-the-uk/, 5 December 2019.
Google Scholar
Webb P., “United Kingdom 2019 – the Election that Wasn’t Supposed to Be”, in N. Bolin et al. (eds.), Euroflections. Leading Academics on the European Elections 2019, Sundsvall 2019, at https://www.euroflections.se/globalassets/ovrigt/euroflections/euroflections_v3.pdf>, 5 December 2019.
Google Scholar
Węc J.J., “Pozycja Parlamentu Europejskiego w reżimie traktatu lizbońskiego”, in A. Kirpsza, P. Musiałek, D. Stolicki (eds.), Podsumowanie siódmej kadencji Parlamentu Europejskiego (2009-2014), Kraków 2015.
Google Scholar
Wierzchowska A., “Parlament Europejski: efektywny katalizator zmian ustrojowych czy niedecyzyjny współuczestnik? Ocena pozycji Parlamentu Europejskiego w systemie politycznym Unii Europejskiej z uwzględnieniem kadencji 2014-2019”, in A. Nitszke, J.J. Węc (eds.), Podsumowanie VIII kadencji Parlamentu Europejskiego. Wyzwania integracji europejskiej w latach 2014-2019, Kraków 2019.
Google Scholar
Zuba K., Dryfujące wyspy. Europejskie dylematy Brytyjczyków, Warszawa 2013.
Google Scholar
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
