Part 2: Overseas Electors and EU Citizens Voting and Candidacy Rights of EU citizens Schedule 8: Voting and Candidacy Rights of EU citizens Part 3 - Amendments in relation to certain elections in Northern Ireland
Paragraph 7 amends form 2 in Schedule 5 to the Electoral Law Act (Northern Ireland) 1962 by amending the declaration of nationality in the consent to nomination made by someone standing for election at a local council in Northern Ireland. The effect of the amendment is that the wording ‘citizen of another member state of the European Union’ is changed to ‘qualifying EU citizen or EU citizen with retained rights within the meaning of sections 203A and 203B of the RPA 1983’. The provision reflects the changes to eligibility for standing as candidate at local elections in Northern Ireland as provided for by paragraph 8 of Part 3 of this Schedule.
	Paragraph 8 makes amendments to section 3 of the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 1972 in relation to the rights of EU citizens to stand for office at local councils in Northern Ireland. The effect of these amendments is that only qualifying EU citizens or EU citizens with retained rights will be qualified to stand for election as a councillor in Northern Ireland.
	Paragraph 9 makes amendments to the Elected Authorities (Northern Ireland) Act 1989 by amending the franchise for local electors in Northern Ireland reflecting the changes for local government electors in England made by paragraph 1(2) of Schedule 8. The effect of these amendments will be that only those EU citizens captured by the new definitions of EU citizens will be able to vote in elections in Northern Ireland that use the local elections franchise. EU citizens who are not captured by the new definitions will no longer be able to vote in those elections. This will impact Assembly elections in Northern Ireland as these use the local elections franchise.
Paragraph 9(3)(a), which substitutes the term ‘relevant citizen of the Union’ for both new definitions - ‘a qualifying EU citizen or an EU citizen with retained rights’ - removes the automatic right to vote from all EU citizens (with the exception of citizens of the Republic of Ireland, Cyprus, and Malta) which is currently conferred by virtue of EU citizenship alone. The effect will be that only EU citizens who meet the eligibility criteria of either of the newly defined groups will be included in the local elections franchise in Northern Ireland.
Paragraph 9(3)(b), provides that the terms ‘qualifying EU citizens’ and ‘EU citizens with retained rights’ have the same meaning as described at sections 203A and 203B of the RPA 1983 as inserted by paragraph 1(11) of Part 1 to this Schedule.
	Paragraph 9(5) applies with modifications the changes to sections 7B, 15 and 17 of the RPA 1983 to local elections in Northern Ireland.
	Paragraph 10 makes amendments to the Northern Ireland Act 1998 to provide that qualifying EU citizens and EU citizens with retained rights are disqualified for membership of the Northern Ireland Assembly unless they are resident in the UK as set out in section 4(3) of the RPA 1983 and applied to Northern Ireland local elections by Schedule 1 to the Elected Authorities (Northern Ireland) Act 1989. The wording ‘citizen of another member state of the European Union’ is changed to ‘qualifying EU citizen or EU citizen with retained rights’ within the meaning of sections 203A and 203B of the RPA 1983.