#DeniedMyVote

Dear Supporter,

In an article for Democratic Audit UK written one week after the European elections in 2019, Professor Toby James used the term "wilful neglect" to describe the government's shocking failure to prepare for those elections in a way that guaranteed that all who were entitled to vote were able to do so.

He pointed to four causes which led to voter suppression on a scale as yet unprecedented scale in the UK with over 1.7 million people were denied a vote:

• Failure by the Government to address under-registration in the UK
• Failure by the Government to reform registration process
• Failure by the Government to confirm the election in time for people to return forms
• Failure by the Government to allow voters to check their registration status online,

These failures parallel the many shortcomings New Europeans pointed to at the time and that led to a degree of voter suppression which Toby James compared with "Jim Crow" elections laws in nineteenth century America:

"de facto practices that made it much more difficult for some people to vote compared to others, therefore reinforcing segregation."

Read Toby James' article here

We will soon know whether the law suit brought against the UK Government for these failures will be able to progress. The case will be heard on 26 and 27 January and we will keep you posted about the outcome.

In the meantime, we will continue to campaign for a public inquiry into #DeniedMyVote and to maintain the pressure to secure the current voting rights of EU citizens in the UK and if possible to extend them further.

Your support is as vital to the success of our campaign as it was when we started.

As we wait for the court hearing, why not join New Europeans as a member (if you have not yet done so) and nail your colours to the mast of an organisation that is fighting for the rights of citizens and for justice for those denied a vote.

Join New Europeans today

Please also continue to share the petition and to draw attention to this stain on the UK's democratic history so that we can continue to seek redress for those affected and to push for changes in the law to make sure this can never happen again:

Share the petition

We have now reached 155,188 signatures on our petition -  any further support support you can give to this crowd funder will help us to do more.

Thank you once again for all your amazing support.

Kind regards

ROGER CASALE

Executive director, New Europeans