Islanders not able to vote in EU referendum, Gorst confirms

Tuesday 26 January 2016

The UK referendum is going to effectively decide Jersey’s relationship with the EU, but Islanders won’t get a vote.

Chief Minister Ian Gorst has confirmed that the law does not allow Jersey residents to take part in the referendum – which is expected to take place this year – but that Islanders entitled to vote in UK elections will be able to do so.

Under UK election law, you can be entitled to vote there for up to 15 years after leaving, as long as you’re a British citizen and you were either registered to vote there, or too young to register before you left.

In a written statement in response to questions from Deputy Mike Higgins, Senator Gorst wrote: “It is for the UK government to determine eligibility to vote in the referendum.

“The European Referendum Act 2015, which gained Royal Assent on 17 December 2015, stipulates that the franchise should be based on the franchise for UK Parliamentary elections.

“Accordingly, residents of the Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories will only be qualified to vote if they would be entitled to do so as electors at a UK parliamentary election in any constituency (for example, as overseas voters).

“This is consistent with past practice, in particular the 1975 UK referendum on EU membership.”