THIS Thursday millions of Scots will put an X next to the candidate or party that they hope will best represent their interests in a brand new decade.
It’s been a decade full of challenges, from constitutional questions around Brexit and Scottish independence to rising child poverty – a time during which a cascade of climate change tipping points loom, when net migration is predicted to fall and the population expected to age rapidly.
But while a record number of people in Scotland have registered to vote on December 12 – more than 120,000 in the run-up to last week’s deadline, raising the tally to 4,053,140 – hundreds of thousands of others will be denied their say.
In Scottish parliamentary and local elections anyone over the age of 16 – with leave to remain – has been able to vote since 2015. EU citizens are also eligible.
The impact is substantial. In Scotland as of December 1, 2018, there were 78,400 young people aged 16 or 17 registered, accounting for almost 2% of the vote. Another 132,800 EU citizens are on the roll – just over 3% of the vote in Scotland.
And more reform is planned. In June, the Scottish Government published the Franchise Bill, legislation looking to extend the right to vote to citizens of all nationalities legally residing in Scotland.
But when it comes to UK elections, those rights tighten with only British, Irish or qualifying Commonwealth citizens – all of whom must be over 18 – entitled to vote.
In November, with negotiations surrounding the election ongoing, a bill seeking to extend the franchise to 16- and 17-year-olds and EU nationals was put forward but not selected.
As a result they must once again watch from the sidelines when the country goes to the polls next week.
So how does it feel not to have a vote when you have so much to win or lose? The Sunday National spoke to young people, EU citizens, asylum seekers and other migrants about their hopes and frustrations.
READ MORE: We're the people who can't vote: Young people
READ MORE: We're the people who can't vote: Asylum seekers
READ MORE: We're the people who can't vote: EU citizens and migrants
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