Don’t Lose Your Vote In The UK
BRITISH CITIZENS
living abroad are again being reminded that many of them still have
the right to vote in UK elections.
A campaign, launched
by the Electoral Commission to encourage British citizens abroad to
register to vote in UK elections says: “There are some things you
miss while living abroad. Voting doesn’t have to be one of them.”
Approximately 678,000
British expatriates live in the United States but very few are
registered to vote in the UK. According to Head of Campaigns and
Public Information at the Electoral Commission, Nina Ziaullah,
overseas voters are severely
underrepresented on the UK Electoral Register.
She said: “There are
fewer than 20,000 British expatriates on the electoral register, a
tiny fraction of the estimated six million Britons living abroad.
Part of the problem is that many overseas voters simply don’t know
that they are eligible to vote. Many people also wait until an
election is called before they register. However, if a snap election
is called, there may not be much time to get registered which is why
it is important to do so now.”
REGISTERED
British citizens in
the United States who have been registered to vote in the UK at any
time within the past 15 years can register as an overseas voter.
Those who were too young to register when they left the UK must have
a parent or guardian who has been registered.
Registered overseas
voters are eligible to vote in elections to the UK General Elections
and European Parliamentary elections, but not UK local government
elections or elections for the devolved assemblies.
To register to vote
from overseas:
* Download an
overseas registration form from
www.aboutmyvote.org.uk.
* Sign the
declaration and asking another British citizen living overseas (but
not a close relative) to sign the witness declaration.
* Return a completed
form as soon as possible to the nearest electoral registration
office (contact details are available at
www.aboutmyvote.co.uk)
Once someone is
registered, they can choose to vote in person at their local polling
station if they are in
the UK on election day. If not, they can apply to vote by post or by
proxy. |
