When?

Voting opens at the very start of Monday 24th January and closes at 23:59 on Monday 31st January 2022. You may only vote once, but you have a whole week to get round to it!

Where?

Online voting only, via www.edinburgh.gov.uk/voteleithchooses.

If you try to vote before 24th, you will get a notice that says ‘Voting is not open yet.’
Please don’t try to contact anyone. Just come back on or after 24th January.

Sadly, there is no in-person voting this year because of the continuing restrictions caused by Covid19.

Who?

You are eligible to vote if you are 8 years old or over, and if you live in Leith, or work in Leith, or study (go to school or college) in Leith, or volunteer regularly in Leith.

If you are under 8, you are welcome to access the voting site and learn about the projects but instead of voting you will be directed to a page that invites you to send in a drawing of Leith, if you wish to. (Drawings will be exhibited online after the voting had closed.

Registering to Vote

In order to vote, you will need a correct Leith postcode. That will be easy for you if you live in Leith, but you may need to do some prior research to get the postcode for your school/college/place of work or place of volunteering.

You are also requested to supply an email address, but if you do not have an email address you can still vote with an eligible postcode.

How Many Votes?

You can cast up to a maximum of 4 votes, but they can’t all be for one same project.

In the first stage, you vote for 3 different projects.

In the next stage, you vote for one project that is eligible for the Boost Vote. You can vote for a different (4rth) project or vote again for a project you’ve already voted for, if its name is on the list.  The three projects that qualify for a Boost Vote this year, are those proposed by ELREC, MILAN, and Nepal Scotland.

What is the Boost Vote?

The boost vote is an extra vote to help projects that deal specifically with minority ethnic communities (that otherwise often miss out, just because they ARE a minority. Read the details here.

In recognition of the fact that black and minority ethnic groups/projects tended in the past to miss out on funding, due to their minority status, the boost vote (first introduced in 2018-19) is designed to promote fairness, as illustrated (the extra box!).

What is a ‘Minority ethnic project’?

Minority ethnic projects are projects specifically concerned with groups or individual members of the Leith community with a different or additional original race, nationality, culture or native language from the majority.

Below, you can see what conditions a project needs to fulfil, to qualify for the extra Boost vote.

By the time voting day comes around, it will be clear which projects have qualified and the Boost votes will have been allocated. Voters just need to choose whether or not to use the extra vote. If you do choose to use it, you just vote it alongside the other projects you are voting for. (You can either vote a Boost vote for a project you’ve already voted for once, or for a different, extra project.)

Qualifying for a Boost Vote

There will be a clear understanding on all sides that co-working with minority ethnic communities must be rooted and long-standing (past & future), and a central feature of the current project, rather than just the last-minute introduction of a new partnership as a quick ‘tweak’ to meet applicant requirements.

To qualify for a boost vote, a project application must meet the conditions in boxes 1 or 2 below. To be considered as a ‘minority ethnic project’, applying organisations need to be able to demonstrate:

ELIGIBLE FOR BOOST VOTE

The applying organisation specifically supports, in particular, one or more minority ethnic communities, and so does the proposed project. And – Management, staff and volunteers are mostly (that is, 50% or more) from minority ethnic communities, and/or project beneficiaries are also mostly from minority ethnic communities. If/when necessary, Information and/or project materials are produced in more than one language, and interpreters/translators are routinely provided, or other cultural supports as required.

The applying organization – or a new and special part of the organisation’s existing work (or a new partnership with another organisation) – is specifically dedicated to including and benefiting members of minority ethnic communities. Supporting one or more minority ethnic communities is a significant/central aspect of the project. And – Management, staff and volunteers are significantly (that is, 33% or more) from minority ethnic communities, and/or project beneficiaries are also significantly from minority ethnic communities. Research/outreach work has been carried out to find out more about the needs and barriers faced by minority ethnic communities, and what is needed to overcome them. Work has already been carried out on encouraging minority ethnic communities to become involved in the project.

‘Demonstrating’ the conditions of 1 and 2 above should include: Providing details of plans/efforts to publicise the project and distribute project information and materials amongst minority ethnic communities, to actively encourage their participation and to consider any special support issues that they may need. Making provision for translation / interpretation of project information into two or more languages, and /or other cultural support, as needed. For partnerships Showing that special efforts have been made to extend the inclusivity of the organization and/or the project by arranging dialogue, resulting in a firm and ongoing partnership with at least two different minority ethnic groups or communities. Documentation (e.g. designated contacts, minuted discussions, records of meetings) is provided to prove the above, and to prove ongoing and active partnership beyond the immediate scope of this project, along with indications as to how it will be maintained (e.g. formal written documents such as signed Memoranda of Understanding or Service Level Agreements).

NOT ELIGIBLE FOR BOOST VOTE (which doesn’t mean it’s not a great project!)

The project is inclusive in that it is ‘open to all’, including individual members of minority ethnic communities, but no special efforts are planned / made to encourage or develop greater involvement of, or benefit for, minority ethnic communities, specifically.

The project will involve or benefit a specific group of people, but none or almost none of them are members of minority ethnic communities.