Brits abroad getting the message as electoral registrations soar

It is a lament repeated almost as often as the tired old cliché that Brits abroad never learn the local language: the myth that no Brit who lives overseas is interested in voting in UK elections.

However, new figures from the Electoral Commission have shown that the message that Brits abroad can and should have their say in UK matters is finally getting through…

In last year’s general election, just 106,000 of a potential 5.5 million Brits who live overseas registered to vote. This low figure was used, at the time, as a stick with which to beat British expats – many of whom have been regarded as disinterested traitors who have turned their backs on Britain.

But a recent awareness campaign that began in March appears to have done the trick, with the Electoral Commission revealing that an extra 80,000 British expats have registered to vote in time for the upcoming EU referendum.

And while this new figure of approximately 186,000 registered voters remains disconcertingly low, the Electoral Commission actually looked at why there was so much perceived apathy, finding that around 20% of those surveyed wrongly believed that they were ineligible to vote when, in fact, they are.

The poll also found that around 30% of potential British voters are unsure of their rights to vote, which suggests that the various campaigns urging Brits to have their say in the EU referendum have largely failed. Around 22% of Brits who live abroad live in the EU, with the majority in Spain, and it is this group of people who are likely to be affected more than any other should Brexit happen.

Last month a challenge at the British High Court by two long-term expats to have the controversial 15-year voting rule overturned was thrown out by the judges, meaning that only those Brits who have registered in a UK constituency during the past 15 years can cast their vote on June 23. Provided, of course, that they are registered to do so.

Brits abroad who have not registered to vote have only until May 16 – next Monday – to register for a postal vote and be able to have their say on the EU referendum. People who are happy to appoint a proxy to vote on their behalf have until June 7.

“The EU Referendum is going to be a significant event and we know lots of British expats will want to make their voices heard, which is why we’re urging them to get registered to vote,” said Alex Robertson, director of communications at the Electoral Commission.

“If they register to vote by 16 May it should be easier to vote by post, as postal votes for the referendum will be sent out earlier than usual, giving them a bit more time to receive, complete and return their ballot back to the UK. Of course, if they don’t think they can return their postal vote papers in time or they find themselves applying after 16 May they can consider voting by proxy.”