To question if it is morally right to vote in an election when you don't currently live in the country?

[Ineedacleaningfairy]

I'm British, but I don't live in the uk and I don't have any intention of living in the uk again in the near future, if at all.

A family member, with whom I have a similar political outlook has been strongly encouraging me to vote in the next election.

I feel odd about the idea of voting in an election that will have very little effect of me or my family.

Aibu to feel a bit odd about voting in an election that won't effect me? Does anyone else feel like this, I'd also be interested in sharing the opinions of Ex-pats who do vote.

Are you currently registered to vote?

How would you get a vote?

I am not entitled to vote in the country I live in, despite this being my permanent residence. In order to vote here, I would have to get citizenship which would give me no other advantages at all - plus, there is the whole issue of the fact that however long I live here, and however much I love it, I will never be German.
So, I vote in the UK. You're right in that I never feel the effects of how I vote (well, not directly), but as a British citizen I still somehow feel it is my duty to do so, because I do still care.

I didn't even realise you could still vote if you moved abroad but after googling see that you can

I do have the right to vote in the uk, I also have citizenship in the country I live in and I do vote here.

I think maybe I'd feel differently if I didn't have the right to vote in the country I live in.

I do care about the outcome of the UK election as you said kitchenwitch I do feel that it is in some way my duty to not waste my vote.

I live abroad too. I vote in the UK in parliamentary elections, because I can't vote in the same in my resident country.

I can vote for the local council, and the EU, so I do that here.

If I get dual citizenship (abd thus the vote) before my 15 years of voting in the UK runs out, then I'll stop voting in the UK. It seems a bit unfair to have 2 votes somehow!

Loads of people who live outside the UK exercise their right to vote. If you are politically aware and have the vote, please use it, there are enough lethargic gits who won't bother and will then whine about the govt.

I voted while we lived abroad, my DH tried to vote from Operational Tour, but they 'lost' a load of ballots, so he did a proxy instead.

If you have no intention of coming back then, to be honest, I think it's a bit dubious as you are influencing and watering down the voices of those voters still living in the country.

i think it would be wrong to vote in an election in a country you dont live in

Whilst I have to do a ruddy UK tax return, when I am never going to owe the IR money, then I will vote in the elections. Something about taxation and representation.

I left the UK ten years ago and I am still entitled to vote. 2015 will probably be the last time though. It's a democratic right and a duty that I intent to exercise a long as I can.

I'm pretty certain that I'm better informed on political issues than a good many people in the UK. Additionally, my children and I hold UK citizenship and residency rights so it's appropriate that I have my say in electing the people who can pass laws that affect those rights.

I have only been living outside the uk for 4 years so I have more than a decade left to vote in the uk, I guess you never know what the future holds, maybe we will end up back in the uk in which case I will regret not having voted.

Homebird8 - do you think my OH can refuse to pay taxes because he has no right to vote under 'no taxation without representation'?

On the OP, I'm not sure on this one, but I do think there should be some harmonisation across Europe so that people, like my OH can have a vote somewhere (he cannot vote in the UK or in his home country)

I live outside the UK and am planning to vote. I want to, I care about what happens! Regardless of whether it's morally right (I don't see why it's not, I understand more of the politics of the UK than of where I live) it is your right as a citizen. But you don't have to vote if you don't want to. (It's a bit of a faff anyway, you have to get a proxy or a postal vote).

the French separate out the overseas voters. they are often way more 'anti immigrant' le pen voters - oh the irony of the immigrants against immigration

ToBeeOrNot now there's a thought. The poll tax was contested on the streets as I am way too young to recall on similar grounds.