IRISH people living in Britain should be allowed to vote in European Parliament elections after Brexit, a Fine Gael MEP has proposed.
Ireland is one of only four EU countries which do not currently permit their citizens living abroad to vote in EU elections at home.
Brian Hayes MEP says electoral law should be changed to allow the Irish in Britain to do so – provided they have lived in the Republic of Ireland within the last 10 years.
“More than 331,000 Irish citizens live in Britain. Currently they can vote in EU elections at home. But they will lose that right after Brexit,” Mr Hayes told The Irish Post.
“They will look to their Spanish, Dutch, French, Maltese neighbours in the UK and wonder why they can still vote in their home countries but Irish people can’t.
“They are going to be disenfranchised. And I believe their right to vote should be upheld.”
Mr Hayes proposes that the Irish Government make a “simple” change to electoral law to allow the Irish in Britain to vote via postal ballot or at polling stations during the next EU elections in 2019.
Tonight I'm at 'Disenfranchised: The Irish in Britain' at @LDNIrishCentre discussing Irish emigrant voting rights #EmVote #RepealThe8th ? pic.twitter.com/lVRe8izSIX
— Anna Kealey (@annakealey) July 19, 2017
He says the amendment would not require a “huge amount of imagination” and could be achieved without holding a referendum on the issue.
“Extending rights for the Irish abroad to vote in presidential elections and Dáil elections can be looked at on another day,” Mr Hayes said.
“This is something I believe could be changed very quickly. Easily by 2019.”
Mr Hayes, who was at the London Irish Centre this week to take part in an event called Disenfranchised: The Irish in Britain, says the Irish Government should also extend the right to vote in EU elections to the 50,000 British citizens registered to vote in Ireland.
“They will be in the same boat after Brexit. They will also be disenfranchised. And that should be looked at as well,” he says.
“Britain is actually much better at extending the right to vote than Ireland is. Irish citizens can vote in general elections in both the UK and Ireland. Whereas British people cannot vote in our elections.”
He added: “I’m an eternal optimist, that’s why I’m in politics. The Irish in Britain should not be disenfranchised just because the UK leaves the EU.”
See More: Brian Hayes, Featured, Irish In Britain, MEP
