A nationwide migrant-led campaign to register migrant, refugee and minority voters ahead of the General Election on 8 June 2017 will culminate in six days of intensive action around the deadline to register on 22 May.
Promote the Migrant Vote was launched on 10 May 2017 to support EU nationals, migrants and refugees to engage with the 2017 General Election. The initiative has been organised by Migrants Organise with partners, including English for Action, Migrants Rights Network, Migrant Voice, The New Europeans, Right to Remain, The 3 Million and Fun Palaces.
Events and drives have been organised across the country, including in Edinburgh, Manchester, Birmingham, Coventry, Milton Keynes, Cambridge, Wolverhampton, Oxford, Peterborough and London. The drive has seen churches enabling their members to register after services on Sunday, mosques helping their worshippers to register after prayers on Friday, and community organisations registering their members.
The campaign will end in a series of more than 30 registration and awareness raising events in the build up to the deadline.
CEO of Migrants Organise, Zrinka Bralo, who initiated the drive said, “We learned from our previous voter registration drives that many migrants and refugees who are now citizens and can vote, feel excluded from the democratic process. For decades the immigration debate, especially around elections, has been very negative about immigration and immigrants. But, democracy means that there must be a place for all us, even those who cannot vote, to be heard and recognized for the contribution that we make to society. Participation in democracy is the best way to show that we care about our shared future. Apathy is not an option in 2017.”
Mona Adam, organiser of the Sudanese Community event said “Members of Sudanese community in London, many of us now British citizens, are proud to be part of voter registration drive and contribute to positive debate about contribution we make to our welcoming and inclusive London”
For more information, please visit the Promote the Migrant Vote website: http://promotemigrantvote.org.uk
For press inquiries, contact Akram Salhab at akram@migrantsorganise.org – interviews are available on request.
Notes for Editors:
Migrants Organise is a platform for refugees and migrants acting for justice, led by CEO Zrinka Bralo, Winner of 2011 Voices of Courage Awards. Since 2014 Migrants Organise has led voter registration campaigns, registering more than 6,360 new voters for local, regional and national elections.
For a full list of events, please visit the Promote the Migrant Vote Website: http://promotemigrantvote.org.
