I Have No Vote in the General Election, Despite Being a Council Tax Paying British Citizen

[TheChandler]

Just this. Am fuming. I should be eligible to vote in Scotland.

I moved overseas on a temporary one year contract with work in September last year, renting out my house for six months. This meant I was removed from the Electoral Register due to a spot check as it did not then tally with the Council Tax register.

I wrote to the Electoral Registrar informing him that by his proposed date of removal (1st April) I would be back paying council tax for my property, as the tenants were leaving and had no further plans to rent it out, and that i was concerned that the closeness to the GE would prejudice my right to vote.

Nevertheless, he informed me that his decision could not be revised, that I would be removed and that I should register as an overseas elector for a postal vote.

I did this, and the postal vote hasn't arrived in time. Nothing at all, despite being a mainstream European country. Post tends to be very reliable.

So I am paying council tax for a property I own in the UK, am a British citizen, and I will have no vote. And by coincidence, I'm actually back for a visit tonight, staying in my property.

Any suggestions?

So you are on the electoral roll as an overseas voter. You've applied for a postal vote. It hasn't yet arrived - correct?

I don't understand what you're getting your knickers in a twist about. Phone them and check its been sent.

The deadline for registration was widely publicised too.

No Viviennemary, I originally moved a road for three months, came back for two weeks, had contract extended for another three months. During which period I remained a uk taxpayer due to having another job based in the UK, working from home. Current contract now at an end, but I am in a one year rental contract for my accommodation.

I should never have been removed from the local electoral roll, and if they had bothered to make proper enquiries, they may have decided not to. Even if the had allowed an appeal to the Electoral Appeals Officer. But no, and no reason for saying no.

I then immediately registered as an overseas elector. Vote has still not arrived, had a friend check today, and even if it is there when I get back tomorrow, id be concerned it might not arrive in time if I posted it straight away.

Even if I had got some acknowledgement that they were processing my application.

I got deleted from the register as they mixed me, 61 year old woman, with my son, 22 year old man. He registered at his new address and now is registered in two places while I got deleted. I was told the new registration system is causing problems, got a letter say that they had got my letter about my name change? got told to just reregister, reregistered on line but they never got it, oh the list goes on. When I finally lost it I was told my telephonist at local council that no one was in registration office but they had told her to tellme to call back later!!!!!

This was still going on on the 20th but they assured me that as it was there mistake they would get me back on the register even if I missed the deadline. Would they issue a proxy for you under the circumstances? Might be worth asking.

Doesn't sound from the OP like the ERO did anything wrong - they can't bend the rules for anyone. They are bound by rules and regulations that are designed to prevent electoral fraud. Also not sure being a taxpayer is officially linked to right to vote? 16 year olds pay taxes but can't vote...

Can you ask them to confirm which address your postal ballot has been/will be sent to? At least then you'll know what's going on.

But actually I'm a bit confused as to where you are going to be on polling day.

Where you pay tax doesn't matter. Its where you are living. My dad is an overseas voter, but pays all taxes (not council tax) etc in UK. It is tricky though if you are moving around a lot.

The changes to the electoral roll are due to a change in how it is being run. The rest of the UK was I think fixed last year, but they held off in Scotland because of the referendum. There has been lots and lots of reminders about the changes, and I know Glasgow City Council in particular extended their deadlines considerably.

I know you must be annoyed, but on the bright side one vote isn't going to change things.

Next time it may be more reliable for you to appoint a proxy, that way there is no faffing with sending votes out/back by deadlines etc.

Electoral Services are bound by rules and regulations and someone somewhere who decided that it would be a good idea to introduce individual registration to coincide with a General Election.

The later deadlines are to go on the register, apply for postal votes etc the tighter everything becomes, especially when software fails and printers let Electoral Services down.

Anyone living abroad would be best advised to apply for a proxy vote, rather than a postal vote, because of possible delays in getting their papers to them.

Oh, I should have said, give the ERO a ring - I have always found them to be very efficient and helpful (though make sure and tell them you are an overseas voter - they get a bit confused when they can't find you on electoral roll)

I accept all comments about council tax register, paying tax, etc not being definitive of a right to vote - but what does that actually leave - if they use the council tax register as a definitive reason to remove someone from the electoral register and refuse to consider any other facts then that does sound like a clear breach of the charter right to good administration.

From what it sounds like, individual registration is being done later in Scotland due to the referendum delaying it. Utter idiocy to do it so close to a GE.

Have been in contact with the ERO and I can tell they are doing their best to help, but all they can say is that my overseas postal vote has been sent out. it just hasn't arrived, with a week to go. again, this seems unusually late - I am sure they could have sent it so as to arrive a bit sooner, without breaking the rules. I am sure this is because the system is struggling to deal with it, rather than any deliberate policy of sending them out this late - if indeed it has been sent out at all.

If they are going to be that precise about residency changes, then at the moment I am living in the UK, in the property I am registered to pay council tax for. I am seriously thinking of staying here until the GE to try and ensure I get a vote - yes, it is that important to me. does that mean though that if my overseas postal vote turned up and I decided to use it, I would be doing so illegally as I no longer lived overseas...until the next time I get on a flight, presumably...

grannytomine - with me too, they spelled my name and address quite badly wrong in correspondence.

I am in Belgium and my ballot paper has not arrived yet either. I know they received my postal vote app. I will be furious if it doesn't arrive in time.

If you don't live here why should you get to vote
Live in the country you want to vote in!

Thank you the posters above. They really are cutting it far too fine. we might well get the postal votes, but not get them back in time to be counted.

I now don't know whether to fly back or stay.

well, at this precise moment, I am in the uk, living in the house for which I pay council tax for

nonsense. You are visiting the UK, just because you are here for a few days does not mean you are living here.
And there is every chance that your postal vote has gone astray in whatever country you are in, in which case your epic rant is entirely baseless.

itsbetterthanabox - you do realise that it takes 5 years of residency to acquire the right to vote in another European country than your own.

and that overseas electors can vote in their former UK constituency for 15 years after leaving the UK.

I don't actually agree that I am a non-resident UK Citizen. I am sure the inland revenue wouldn't either. I'm currently in the UK, living in my home. Yet I cannot vote here in the GE, because I went abroad for a short period to work.

Can anyone check your postal vote has arrived overseas?

I know there's a principle at stake in voting, exercising your democratic rights etc. What is the status of your constituency - safe seat or marginal?

If you're on the register to receive a vote overseas, I assume you're not registered at your previous address, so there's no point in staying around to vote in person.

I just did 83 ash - 21 april was the date for cancelling an overseas postal vote. Apparently it has been sent out. It just hasn't arrived. in my naivity, I assumed it would be sent out to me in plenty of time so that I could return it without worrying that it will be received in time - I guess I will never know if my vote counts or not - assuming I do receive it.

You do not currently live in the UK. You live and work in another EU country, however temporarily. You are totally eligable to vote, via a postal vote. Your problem seems to be that you did not arrange your postal vote in time.
Your problem, no-one elses.

I'm not sure that it's OP who didn't arrange it in time. She did, but didn't check the dates postal voting papers are sent out, and is therefore likely to miss them (I'm losing the timetable a bit here, as OP seems to have said both that she'll be here for polling day and that she might be back overseas and see if it can be sent back just in time, but perhaps I misunderstood).

I don't think the Revenue's view on residency for tax purposes is relevant for electoral issues. There are separate laws, aren't there?

The time between the deadline for confirming candidates and the poll leaves very little time to process postal votes and the timings are not under the control of the local authority.

As previously stated, a proxy vote is a better option for anyone who lives overseas and is wishing to vote. This doesn't help you on this occasion, but is a lesson learned.

Don't blame the local authority for these deadlines. No amount of forward planning or organisation on their part would speed up the process.

I will go back to get my postal vote. Not actually sure where I'll be going after that. I'm back and forth quite a lot as its only a short flight.

I will be really upset if it doesn't arrive and I can't vote. Never voted overseas before so I have no idea how reliable or not it usually is.

I actually think I could elect where I live at present, and I don't think the ERO made the right decision, or at least lets say their guidance is muddled and poor.

It's all very confusing. You said in your first post you had taken a job abroad last September for a year. In which case I assumed you were resident abroad for one year. Doesn't matter if you visited the UK for a couple of weeks during that time you were 'habitually' resident abroad. If you are hopping back and forth that isn't the electoral registrar's problem and neither is post in other countries.

Why didn't you go for the proxy?