Franchise

The legal right to vote is called the franchise. However, being entitled to vote does not automatically mean someone can vote in every UK election: age, nationality, residence, registration and legal exclusions all matter.

General elections choose the country’s Parliament, so the franchise is tied to citizenship, with rights also extended to Irish and qualifying Commonwealth citizens because of historical links with the UK. Other foreign nationals, including most EU citizens, cannot vote in general elections unless they also hold an eligible citizenship. Irish citizens and qualifying citizens of Malta and Cyprus are exceptions among EU nationals because Ireland has historical links with the UK and Malta and Cyprus are Commonwealth countries.