Right to vote in General Elections - can it be withdrawn?

[GroveMum]

Hi, hope someone can help with my query.

My Mum came to England in the 1960s from a european country (a founding EEC state). After about 10 years of being married to my British dad she found out via our neighbour a councillor, that she was entitled to vote in General Elections. She subsequently voted for many years - until trying to register at her new address - she was told she cannot register for UK General Elections (she can for Euro and local) because she does not have a British passport - she still has a passport from her birth country. I have looked on the UK Border Agency site and this seems to be broadly correct - only British citizens/nationals can vote.

My question is therefore this. Is she a British citizen or national? Assuming she was previously entitled to vote by virtue of being married to a British man, when did this right cease and why? She never formally applied to be a national or citizen as she didn't know she had to?

She is absolutely irate at being disenfranchised!

If she doesn't have a british passport (obv not literally but if she never gained citizenship) then tbh I wouldn't imagine she was ever eligeable to vote.

In fact I wonder whether her original voting rights were given to her in error - in which case I wonder how many others there might be who are voting when not entitled to do so?

oops that should be eligible sorry - before the spelling police get me.

"Who is eligible to vote at a general election?

To vote in a UK Parliamentary general election a person must be registered to vote and also:

list of 4 items
be 18 years of age or over on polling day
be resident in the UK
be a British citizen, a
qualifying Commonwealth citizen
or a citizen of the Republic of Ireland
not be subject to any legal incapacity to vote

list end

Additionally, the following cannot vote:

list of 5 items
members of the House of Lords (although they can vote at elections to local authorities, devolved legislatures and the European Parliament)
EU citizens resident in the UK (although they can vote at elections to local authorities, devolved legislatures and the European Parliament)
anyone other than British, Irish and qualifying Commonwealth citizens
convicted persons detained in pursuance of their sentences (though remand prisoners, unconvicted prisoners and civil prisoners can vote if they are on the
electoral register)
anyone found guilty within the previous five years of corrupt or illegal practices in connection with an election
list end

from

here

I've met a few people from Spain who've been mistakenly given votes in general elections when they aren't actually entitled. It's more common than people think.

If she applies for naturalisation she will become a British citizen and will then be eligible to vote in general elections. I believe WannaBe is right and that she has never been eligible to vote in general elections.

Thanks, I have seen that.

My query is really whether in 1973 or whenever she first registered to vote she appeared to be entitled and how and when this right had been lost. She has never applied for naturalisation she was just told that if she was married for 10 years to a British person she was able to vote after that. I cannot believe that the electoral registration departments in various different places were all wrong.