Electoral Registrations on the Rise as Brits Finally Get The
Message
The number of Brits abroad that are registered to vote has
risen a massive 80,000 in the past two months in the lead-up to the EU
referendum.
The biggest vote in UK for generations |
Recent figures from the Electoral Commission has shown that
Brits abroad are finally getting the message about making their voices heard in
British matters though.
During the general election last year only 106,000 Brits in
over 5.5 million living overseas were registered to vote. This was used to bash
British expats with many considering them traitors who no longer care about
Britain and have long since turned their back on their home country.
An awareness campaign was launched in March and it seems to
have achieved some success. The Electoral Commission shows that 80,000 Brits
have registered to vote and will be taking part in the EU Referendum.
While it is true that the figure is still a disturbingly low
186,000 the Electoral Commission decided to take a look at why there was so much
apathy expressed by expats. They discovered that 20% of the people they asked
were under the false impression that they would be ineligible to vote. It seems
expats literally don’t realise they can vote.
The poll also discovered that 30% of British voters living in the cities around spain were not
sure about their right to vote. This suggests that all of the campaigns for
Brits to vote in the EU Referendum and get involved have failed. Roughly 22% of
the Brits living abroad can be found in the EU. Most of them are in Spain.
These are the people who are going to be affected the most if Britain leaves
the EU.
Last month the challenge taken to the British High Court by
two expats to have the 15-year voting rule thrown out was denied by the judges.
This means that the only Brits abroad that can vote are those who have been
registered in a UK constituency in the past 15 years. As long as they are
registered to vote that is.
Brits abroad only ha until May 16th to register
to vote; If they miss out then they miss their chance to vote and
have their voice heard in the election. If they do miss this chance they can
also choose someone to vote on their behalf. The deadline to register a proxy
is June 7th.
The director of communications with the Electoral
Commission, Alex Robertson, believes that many expats will want to have their
voices heard so he is determined to give them the chance to do so. He knows how
significant the EU Referendum is and wants to get everyone who can vote out
there voting.
If someone registers to vote by May 16th they could vote using a postal service vote. Postal votes are sent out early so that they can
arrive in time to be counted in the UK. If people don’t believe they can cast a
postal vote in time or they missed out on the 16th May deadline it is
possible to register a proxy to vote on their behalf.
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