Press Release from the British High Commission
A survey of UK citizens living overseas carried out by the UK Electoral Commission has found that half of respondents don’t know that they can now register on line to vote in the UK.
To make sure that British ex pats are #Referendum Ready, the elections watchdog is reminding them that it’s possible to apply in just a few minutes at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote. Before on line registration became available in 2014, applicants had to complete a paper application and post it back to their local electoral office. It is now possible to complete an application on line in five minutes with just your National Insurance number and passport to hand, which also removes the need for overseas voters to provide an attestation when these details are provided.
To register as an overseas voter, UK residents overseas must have previously been registered in a UK constituency within the last 15 years. Anyone who is unsure if they are registered to vote should contact their last UK local authority to check their status.
The Commission is calling on ex pats to register to vote by 16 May if they want to vote by post in the EU Referendum. This is so they have enough time to receive and return their postal ballot. They don’t even need to wait for their registration to be confirmed before choosing how they wish to vote. Ex pats can vote by post, by proxy (voting by appointing someone you trust to vote on your behalf), or even in person at their polling station if they will be in their local authority area on polling day.
It will be easier to vote by post for this referendum as postal votes will be sent out earlier than usual, giving overseas voters further time to receive, complete, and return their ballot pack to the UK. However anyone who doesn’t think they can return postal vote papers in time or is applying after 16 May should consider voting by proxy.
Victoria Dean, British High Commissioner to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, said:
“A lot of UK citizens living in the Caribbean don’t know that they can register to vote on line in just five minutes. Many people are eligible to vote and now it’s easier than ever to take the first step by going on line.
“We’re urging more UK nationals who are living abroad to get #Referendum Ready by visiting https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote and register to vote by 16 May.”
To register to vote, UK citizens should visit www.gov.uk/register-to-vote
Notes for Editors
1. British expatriates in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean can register online to vote at:
http://bit.ly/22zluRJ up to 16 May 2016, if they wish to vote by post.