British expats are urged to sign up for a vote in General Election 2017 before it’s too late.
With polling day on Thursday, June 8, time is running out for expats to register for a proxy vote, warns the Electoral Commission.
Expats can add their names to the voting list by applying online.
Tens of thousands of expats have swollen the numbers of those eligible to vote in Election 2015 and the Brexit referendum.
In 2015, 106,000 expats were on the electoral roll – triple the number on the list for Election 2010.
Even more joined the roll last year, with the final count reaching 264,000 by December.
Don’t lose your voice
Craig Westwood, director of communications at the Electoral Commission said: “At the 2016 European Union Referendum, local authorities received 5,143 late registration applications from overseas voters.
“We don’t want anyone to lose their voice this polling day. Expats who are eligible to vote in the UK should register now, and once registered should apply to vote by proxy, which means nominating someone you trust to vote for you.
“This will give peace of mind as it means not needing to worry about ballot papers arriving and returning via the post in time to be counted at the election.”
Any expat who has spent less than 15 years living overseas can vote in Election 2017.
Many are waiting to see if the Tories maintain their previous election pledges to scrap the 15 year rule and give all expats a vote.
Election pledge
The promise was made by David Cameron in his party’s election manifesto and confirmed by ministers in Parliament in recent months. However, the legislation failed to pass before Parliament was dissolved for the current election.
Lobby group Votes for Expats is encouraging expats to take part in research project run by Sussex University.
The team wants to find out what expats think about voting in UK elections and the prospects of Brexit.
“The aim is to find out more about British expats living abroad,” says the website.
“We want information from expats outside Europe as well as those affected by Brexit.”
