Voting rights could be extended to refugees for the first time

Holyrood was granted new powers over the running of elections in 2016, allowing it to set rules about who can vote and how voting is organised for local authority and Scottish Parliament elections.

The Scottish Government has now launched a public consultation which suggests extending the voting franchise to ‘everyone legally resident in Scotland’, which would include refugees and non-EU citizens for the first time.  The consultation also considers ways to bring more gender balance in representation and make voting and representation more accessible to all.

You can comment on the proposals up until 12th March – read more here.

 

 

Image credit: Amanda Wood, Flickr