About the review
Under the Elections Act 2022, citizens of European Union member states are no longer automatically entitled to register to vote and stand for election at local elections in England. We're legally required to conduct a review of all EU citizens currently registered to vote in Stockport to determine those residents entitled to remain registered.
2 groups of EU citizens will retain the right to vote and stand for election at local elections in England:
Qualifying EU citizens
A person meets this qualification if they're a citizen of a country with which the UK has bilateral Voting and Candidacy Rights (VCR) treaty and have leave to remain in the UK, or do not require such leave. The current countries with which the UK holds bilateral VCR treaties are:
- Denmark
- Luxembourg
- Poland
- Portugal
- Spain
EU citizens with retained rights
A person meets this qualification if they are not a ‘Qualifying EU citizen’ and have been legally residing in the UK since before the UK formally left the EU on the 31 December 2020.
New citizenship or a change of nationality
If you gain new citizenship or change your nationality after you initially registered to vote, you should let the Elections Office know. This change may alter your eligibility to vote in some elections. You can email: elections.office@stockport.gov.uk.