Thread by @LisatheSimpson

@the3million @Anna_Soubry @sarahwollaston
1/7 This morning, I e-mailed every council in the country in a personal capacity asking them if they had notified non-UK EU citizens of the need to fill in form U1/E6 to vote in the European elections.

2/7 The councils can only contact those who hav already registered to vote. So far, 53% have responded positively.

Some said they were legally obliged to do so, others called it a ‘recommendation’, one so far is doing nothing but has the form on their website.

3/7 A few had gone to great lengths by e-mailing, sending letters by 1st-class post (with a PPE) and then following up with reminders (sometimes more than one) if there was no response. They continue to do so with all new registrations on the main government site.

4/7 A very small handful refused to give me the information and said I had to submit an FOI request.

5/7 Some hadn’t got round to doing anything but assured me they would be doing so post haste (I might have given them a prod). We don't know what the remaining 47% have done, perhaps nothing or maybe they haven’t had the time to respond; it’s a busy time for Electoral Services.

6/7 One council did report that several people had contacted them to say they had no interest in voting and another that they were disappointed they could not vote for candidates in their country of origin. My impression is that many councils are doing their best.

7/7 Many forms had already been returned, one said he would accept forms by post, in person, scanned or photographed. There seem to be no obstacles in the way of completing the registration process and some great efforts are being made to ensure nobody is disenfranchised.

@threadreaderapp Please unroll.