British citizens living overseas are advised to register as soon as possible in order to vote in the parliamentary general election on 8 June.
The UK Electoral Commission says that it is now possible to quickly register online, at: www.gov.uk/register-to-vote.
Craig Westwood, Director of Communications at the Electoral Commission, said that for the 2016 EU Referendum, local authorities received 5,143 late registration applications from overseas voters.
"We don’t want anyone to lose their voice this polling day. Expats who are eligible to vote in the UK should register now, and once registered should apply to vote by proxy, which means nominating someone you trust to vote for you. This will give peace of mind as it means not needing to worry about ballot papers arriving and returning via the post in time to be counted at the election.”
Electoral Commission advice for British citizens abroad:
· To register to vote, UK citizens should visit: https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote
· To register as an overseas voter, UK residents overseas must have previously been registered in a UK constituency within the last 15 years.
· Once registered, overseas voters can then choose how they wish to vote. They 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 UK local authority area on polling day.
· The Commission recommends that overseas voters apply to vote by proxy due to the short administrative period. To do so they will need to complete a proxy vote application form and send it to the Electoral Registration Officer at their local authority. Voters can print a form from: www.gov.uk/voting-in-the-uk, or contact their Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) to request a form in the post.
· The contact details for each ERO can be found by entering a UK postcode on: www.yourvotematters.co.uk
