Can EU Citizens with Pre-Settled or Settled Status Vote in the UK General Election?

As of the writing of this article, EU citizens cannot vote in the upcoming UK General Election, which is expected to take place in the latter half of 2024. This is due to the current political stance that has not yet adopted a proposed Labour policy or introduced a private member's bill to change this. The introduction of such changes seems unlikely based on current trends.

The Current Voting Rights for EU Citizens

The primary statute governing voting rights in the UK is the British nationality law. This restricts the right to vote to British citizens only. Therefore, if an EU national has acquired British citizenship, they are eligible to vote in UK elections.

EU Citizens' Right to Vote in UK Elections

EU nationals have the right to vote in UK local elections but not in general elections, which are for the Westminster Parliament. There are some exceptions:

EU citizens from the Republic of Ireland, as part of the Common Travel Area, can vote. EU citizens from Malta and Cyprus, due to their status as qualifying Commonwealth citizens, can also vote if they reside in the UK. EU nationals who have leave to remain in the UK can vote in Scottish Parliament elections.

These categories of EU nationals can participate in the country's general elections along with British citizens. For more detailed information, refer to the Electoral Commission's guide.

International Perspective on Voting Rights

Let us reconsider an alternative question: Can Japanese citizens vote in the US elections? Can South African citizens vote in Zimbabwe elections? For these cases, it is assumed that the answers would align with the UK's current policies.

Conclusion

The EU allows its member states' citizens to vote in local elections in other EU countries. However, this does not extend to national elections. The mutual voting rights between the UK and Ireland under the Common Travel Area (CTA) arrangement is a unique exception. For English to voters in other EU countries, they generally have to allow voting in local elections but not national ones as per EU law.

At the moment, only Irish citizens and EU citizens who are also British citizens via dual nationality are eligible to vote in UK general elections. This status provides a clear distinction for those who wish to participate in the democratic process of the UK.

For further inquiries, please refer to official government sources and the Electoral Commission for comprehensive details.