United Kingdom: Britain has announced that over three million of its citizens living abroad will regain their right to vote in the upcoming British general elections. The change occurs after the implementation of the Elections Act 2022.
The latest inclusion will lead to the biggest increase in the British electoral list since the introduction of voting for females in 1928.
With the removal of the limit of 15 years on the right to vote, there will be a provision of online registration for British Citizens to vote, regardless of the time they have been overseas.
The registration will be linked to the last registered UK address they had lived. The names of the registered voters will remain on the electoral roll for up to three years. The electors can also apply online for either a postal or proxy vote.
This implementation marks the culmination of the ‘Votes for Life’ campaign led by Conservatives Abroad. It is the global network of members and overseas supporters of the British Conservative Party.
The ‘Votes for Life’ campaign has also been a long-standing commitment in the Conservative Manifesto. This enactment, which ensures that all British citizens abroad can remain part of UK democracy, comes despite the attempts of Labour and the Liberal Democrats to oppose it successfully.
The Labour Party government had introduced the 15-year restriction in 2001 and Liberal Democrats stood against the attempts to remove it during the coalition government in 2010- 2015.
Secretary of State for the Department for Levelling up, Housing and Communities, Mr. Michael Gove said that, “From today, millions of British nationals across the world can exercise their right to vote in future general elections and have their say in the way their country should be governed.”
Conservative Party Chairman, Mr. Richard Holden, commented that, “The Conservatives have once again shown that we are the party for democracy and protecting an individual’s right to vote. After years of hard work from Conservatives Abroad and our party members, we have finally seen the biggest expansion of our democratic franchise in almost a century, despite persistent opposition from Labour and Liberal Democrats. I look forward to reaching out and connecting with our overseas voters in the months ahead.”
Mr. Heather Harper MBE, Chairman of Conservatives Abroad, which led the campaign to restore the franchise, stated that, “Millions of people living abroad, both working and retired, have been prevented from exercising their democratic right to vote. This new measure puts Britain back on a par with democracies such as the US, France, Italy and New Zealand in recognising the importance of their citizens worldwide.”
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