To point out that if you're a UK citizen you can now register to vote even if you've lived abroad for more than 15 years?

[CrispEater]

The rules changed in January so even if you've been out of the UK for more than 15 years, you can vote.
https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/media-centre/all-abroad-more-brits-overseas-can-now-register-vote-0
It's very easy to register online.
https://www.gov.uk/voting-when-abroad

If you're abroad you're not eligible for local elections afaik, only general.
The gov website explains it all, I'll try and find the link.

https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/voting-and-elections/who-can-vote/other-registration-options/voting-if-you-live-overseas

oh thanks, i hadn't really read it, just assumed they'd take care of everything.

as for all the "if you don't live here, fuck off" posters: tough tits. Actually. I did my time in the military, and in my book that makes me elligible to vote, let alone my citizenship. (cry harder: I'm also elligible to vote in the country that - thanks, brexit! - i am also a citizen of. Win-win for me!)

Given the Birth Trauma report last week, I'd be surprised if anyone is going over for your wonderful maternity services, unless they're going private it would be a bit of a lottery. But does birth in UK confer citizenship? I didn't think so. And if one or both parents abroad are British, IIRC the child can get British citizenship anyway.

Frankly i mostly go for the wotsits and the marmite. Will be taking my car next time so i can really stock up.

Quite. I lived away a lot and what the UK does impacts on you as a British person abroad, typically really poorly. I had people walk up to me and say, "what on earth are you lot up to now?"

At least being able to say, "I didn't vote for these idiots" tempering the conversation.

Well said.

The last constituency you lived in before you left.

not well said at all. Why shouldn't i vote.

FFS i stopped the 3rd shock army rolling over the north German plain on the way to overrun the UK. You should be grateful enough to let me vote. 😁

thanks @SudExpress I'm only slightly disappointed my DCs aren't elligible to vote, just to piss off the frothing-at-the-mouthers 😀

I have just done the application but didn't have any proof of my last address (it's been a long time) so I imagine it might take a while. What are the chances of it getting done in time to do a postal vote?

Last one you lived in.

I'm shocked at how many people are opposed to this. It's just a mirror of the legislation that allows foreign-born residents of the UK to vote in their countries of origin. Your vote should be your birthright imo.

Yanbu, OP, not everyone affected knows about this, and should.

I will be voting, just applied for the postal vote in the constituency where I last lived. A nice lady from the council has emailed me with reminders to renew that I want to vote, every 2 years or so, so I must be on a list. Been abroad 12 years and glad they've changed the rule. Regularly back in UK, worked there for 20 years and paid tax, still paying NI voluntary contributions, kids will most likely study there, don't need to use the NHS as I'm insured here. Bit disappointed by the frothing tone of those saying expats have no right to vote. But there we are.

Not necessarily. One of my adult children is a diplomat for the foreign Office. They haven't lived in the UK for 8 years because of postings in various countries .they are 6 months in to a new 4 year posting. They are entitled to NHS treatment as soon as they come home

You vote in the last constituency you were registered in.

I registered to get my voting rights back as soon as it was possible to do so. Glad to be able to vote again. But the issue is how you vote - can't trust postal votes to arrive in time and if you don't know anyone you trust to vote for you in your last constituency (which I don't, because it was just where I was for university) then it gets more difficult.

Thanks for sharing this. I left the UK more than 10 years ago, but many things that the UK government did still massively affect me (Brexit! Tax, elder care for parents etc).

inspired by the ‘fuck off’ comment, I have shared the voting links widely in my expat community groups.

I didn't need any proof of my last address when I registered

Why do you think most expats are Tories?

Exactly. My son was automatically entitled to his EU citizenship by pure fact of having an citizen father. Not the same for UK, as I needed to have given birth to him.in the UK in order to pass full citizenship rights on.

Diplomats, as the military, aren't counted as living overseas though so that doesn't bar them from using the NHS.

TBH i think if you remembered your NI number you could probably get treated if you look and sound British/Local enough. I wouldn't try it though because the resources are for Brits in the UK.

I am also worried about not receiving the documents in time. It says on the link that @SudExpress provided, that all candidates who wish to stand must be registered 3 weeks prior to the election date. When that is finalised, they send the documents. I am really worried that given the awful length of time it takes to get any post between UK and Germany that i won't be able to vote.

To that end i have just emailed my local electoral office (the one where i will vote) to ask if i can collect them in person, as by chance I'll be in the city next month. I'll come back and let others here who might be worried know what they say.

Proxy voting, if you have someone trustworthy, is also relatively easy to organise. My dad used to vote for both me and my DH and anyone who questioned him was fobbed off with "well i have a VERY big house and pay a lot of tax, so i deserve 3 votes" and then just wander off. Git.

I got ill when I was on holiday in the UK once, needed to go to A&E. I tried to tell them I wasn't a resident and give my european health insurance card and they just weren't interested, just put me down as resident at my parents' address.
Though perhaps these days the NHS might care a bit more!

Yep there’s a poster on here who lives, permanently, in Australia but claims she still votes Tory in UK elections “because st least they know what a woman is”. And she won’t need to pay higher mortgage rates or deal with a collapsing healthcare system as a result of that vote, because she doesn’t live here and never will again.

Thanks for the info - have registered.

I can't remember what the rules were, at one time it was up to 15 years outside UK, but it changed.

Fucking ridiculous. If you live abroad you can fuck right off voting in our elections. Interfering fuckers!

sorry, @DarkGlassesAndHat lots of us are going to exercise that right. Get over it.

"Get over it" ??

What a ridiculously childish phrase.