Elections – European, General and London

The importance of voting in May 2014

Back in 2009, SLIFG encouraged its members to vote in the elections for the European Parliament (see below). The same logic applied to the General Election in 2010 and the London Assembly elections in 2012. Now, in 2014, the elections to the European Parliament are coming round again, with polling on Thursday 22nd May. Although the strengths of several parties have changed since 2009, the basic message remains the same: if people of faith use their votes it will help to prevent the election of candidates whose values contradict those of the inter faith movement. 

The elections to the European Parliament are proportional, with the whole of London a single constituency electing 8 MEPs. A party list system of proportional representation is used. Hence the importance of people of faith using their votes; this will decrease the proportion of votes for parties whose values contradict those of the inter faith movement.

FROM THE SOUTH LONDON INTER FAITH GROUP IN 2009

19 April 2009 (updated 19 May, after registrations closed)

To all members

The aims of South London Inter Faith Group (SLIFG) include:

• to advance understanding between people of different faiths particularly in the South London area, and to overcome prejudice and ignorance concerning these faiths;
• to support each other on issues of common concern such as religious discrimination and justice and peace in the community.

The SLIFG committee would like you to be aware that:

In the elections to the European Parliament which will take place on 4 June 2009, there is a strong possibility that the British National Party (BNP) will gain one of the 8 London seats.

Everything the BNP stands for runs counter to the ethos of SLIFG.

The whole of Greater London is a single constituency that will elect 8 Members (MEPs).

Voters will vote for parties, not for candidates (except independents). The parties choose their MEPs.

The voting system is proportional. So if the turn-out is small, as it usually is for European elections, the BNP proportion of the vote may become inflated.

Please make sure you vote on 4 June.

Vote for any party except the BNP and make sure that the congregations of your temples, mosques, synagogues and churches are informed about this situation and the importance of turning out to vote on 4 June.  A poster is available for your use. Encourage your friends of all faiths and none to vote.

(If anyone’s name was not already on the electoral register, it needed to have been added by 19 May in order to be able to vote on 4 June. For future elections, you can register at any time by filling in a registration form and sending it to your local electoral registration office, which is usually at your local council office.)

SEE ALSO WHAT THE INTER FAITH NETWORK FOR THE UK HAD TO SAY IN 2009.
IFNet Circular 10/09
IFNet Circular 12/09