About Us:
Thanks to the New Initiatives Fund granted by The Electoral Commission, the Making Chinese Votes Count project, which is under the management of the consortium consisting of both Ming-Ai (London) Institute and the London Chinese Community Network (LCCN)has started from 9th January 2006.
Figures available suggest that there are about 300,000 Chinese people living in the UK, forming one of the biggest minority ethnic groups in the country. However, because of the low level of participation in political activities, the Chinese community is often “seen but not heard”.
This 12-month project aims to increase the awareness about the political and electoral systems as well as any pending such systems among the Chinese community, to mobilise the Chinese voters, to get more Chinese involved with politics and electoral systems and to make their vote count throughout Britain.
A series of activities will be carried out to target participants from the Chinese communities all over the UK to cover topics such as
- current electoral laws and systems
- the importance of political participation today and address of some complex factors that give rise to lack of participation in politics and voting
- how to become involved in politics and public life and make Chinese vote count.
Visits to House of Lords and Chinese in Britain All-Party Parliamentary Group will be organised to gain better and more precise understanding of the electoral process, the role of the elected representatives and the current situation regarding the engagement of Chinese community with political life and electoral systems.
Our Main Aim and Long-term Vision:
The main aim of this project is to raise the awareness about electoral systems and government policies applicable in the UK among the Chinese community, and to encourage them directly to participate in political and public life. The essential point is to let them be aware of the importance and the value of their votes in the electoral systems and to build up their confidence to get involved in the elections. A significant increase in the number of eligible Chinese registering to vote will be expected in future elections. Hence the Chinese community as a whole will be more engaged with politics and public life, and will continue to contribute to the democratic process of the country.