Fewer than 200,000 Britons living abroad apply to vote in UK elections | 2024 general election

Of the estimated 3.5 million Britons who have lived abroad for more than 15 years, fewer than 200,000 have applied to vote despite changes to the law in January that returned the right to vote in UK general elections.

But those who have already signed up are determined to leave their mark.

Sue Wilson, co-chair of Bremain, Spain, is the Henley-on-Thames seat, previously held by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson but now being challenged by the Liberal Democratic Party. on-Thames).

Wilson said: The first and most important thing is to get the Tories out. People are prepared to vote tactically to make that happen and to bring as few people back to Congress as possible.

She has long campaigned for the protection of British rights in Brexit-affected Spain and votes for the Liberal Democrats. What her Labor Party is doing on Brexit leaves a lot to be desired. At least the Lib Dems actually mentioned the word. The Labor Party is cowardly enough to even dare to bring up Brexit.

Gabrielle Gombert, who lives in the Netherlands and left Britain 27 years ago, was among those who rushed to register to vote in north London earlier this year. I was absolutely ecstatic. When I found out we would get the right to vote again, I woke up at ridiculous hours like 4am and looked through my old National Insurance cards to see if I had the numbers.

Gombert has not yet decided who will receive his vote. The Labor and Conservative parties are very strong and their attitudes towards anything that looks like non-British immigrants are really hardening. And I sometimes feel like as a Brit living abroad you fall into a category where it doesn't really matter.

We just want our voices to be heard. I am voting with what can only be described as true passion, she said.

More than 230,000 overseas voters registered to vote in the last election in December 2019, when Johnson took power on the back of his promise to get Brexit done, and record numbers this year were expected after his 15-year rule.

The latest Electoral Commission figures show more than 137,000 overseas voters have applied this year, most of them since the law changed on January 16. Assuming around 61,000 people are still registered last year and everything is still valid for the July 4 election, this means a total of 199,000 overseas Britons applied to vote.

This is well below the record 285,000 overseas voters when Theresa May called a snap election in 2017.

Jane Golding, co-chair of the British People in Europe campaign group, said a lack of awareness among Britons abroad of their right to vote in British elections may be to blame. Photo: Avpics/Alamy

Jane Golding, co-chair of the British in Europe campaign group, which fought alongside the late Harry Schindler to end his 15-year rule, said a number of factors could be at play, including a lack of awareness.

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The group had hoped the government would flag any rule changes in official communications about passport renewals or pension provisions. A man who did not wish to give his name and had been abroad since 1980 complained that he was unable to meet requirements to provide proof of his previous UK address. It is not enough for him to currently have a British passport.

The Electoral Commission is urging Britons abroad to apply online by the midnight deadline of June 18. We know there are eligible voters all over the world. So we're asking anyone who has friends or family overseas to spread the word and remind them to register before the deadline.

The deadline for postal voting is June 19, but Britons in Europe are urging people to apply to vote by proxy, which can be applied for up to June 26.

A spokesperson for another campaign group, Stay European, said they were hearing some reports of obstacles such as last known UK address requests. With international mail sluggish following Brexit, there are widespread concerns about whether postal votes will arrive in time to be returned.

Some Stay European members have complained that local authorities, including North East Lincolnshire, are requiring proof of address, a challenge for people living abroad for decades. North East Lincolnshire Council officials said they were required by law to seek documentary evidence relating to voters' last addresses. Overseas voters are legally required to register regardless of how long they have been abroad.

If you do not have a record on the register and you must provide documentary evidence of previous residence in the constituency to comply with the eligibility criteria, your application will be processed.

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