Hopefully everyone has received and returned their postal Votes

[Gfplux]

Hello, just hoping that every mumsneter living outside the UK have taken the correct steps to vote.
It's not which way anyone votes but it's using your vote that is so important.
Remember men and women have died to give us the right to vote.

If you have been outside the UK for over 15 years you lose the right to vote in the UK.

I actually don't think I have a right to vote. I left 6 years ago and have no intention of coming back, so why would I influence how a country that I'm not going to live in is run?

I left 6 yrs ago (although interestingly the country I'm in says officially I've only been here 3 yrs) and have voted as I work for a uk company, have property in the UK and my kids can hold uk passports so I feel I should as I can.

Any UK Citizen who left the UK LESS THAN 15 years ago can still vote.

Lady Cassandra that is an interesting point. If you leave the UK for a non EU Country and Have no intention of returning should you worry that Britain will leave the EU.
Do remember that a Brexit will/might effect your ability to visit a EU country to work or Holiday.

I do remember thank you, but again, I'm not entitled enough to think that I should vote on a decision to be made in a country I don't live in, or have any intention of living again, based on where I can go on holiday

My postal vote hasn't arrived yet again. 😧

Done - we've been away 13 years so just scraped in

Hope it still turns up in time isthis I never received any postal ballot papers in all the years I was allowed to vote so changed it to a proxy vote. Now been away 16 years so no longer eligible to vote.

I'm not voting as, like Lady C, I don't feel I should vote in a country I have no intention of living in again. We're beginning the process of dual citizenship so we can finally vote here.

I'd love to be able to vote, but I've been out of the country over 15 years now so I can't. I'm still a British citizen and it annoys me intensely that I can't vote, especially for something so important.

Sent mine back about a week ago - can't change my mind now!

I don't feel I should vote in a country I have no intention of living in again
I think this to be honest. I've always wondered why people who have no intention of coming back here want to have a say in how we live

I have returned my postal vote but because I stupidly assumed the pre-pay envelope (with prepay written in several languages) would work from abroad I didnt put any stamps on it and have since heard it's only valid in the UK.

Lots of people have done that apparently apple

done.

Does anyone know when do the proxy votes get sent to people in the UK

I wondered that about the postage - fortunately my husband is in the uk today, flying back tonight, so he's posting them before he leaves

My husband and I applied for our overseas voting rights. We got our voting papers and sent them back in plenty of time. I asked the lady in the post office if the postage was paid. She said only in the UK. I said ok and paid the right postage.

To me this isn't necessarily about how the country is run, it's also about our rights as British Citizens for travel around the world.

I have no intention of living in the UK again, however our long term retirement plan is to live at our home in Spain. Planned considering the rights being part of the EU gives us.

As a standalone country, visa rights could be affected. I've heard many people say 'but it's Britain, nobody would give less rights to Brits'. I recall a few years ago there was a major row between the Canadian government and the UAE government regarding landing rights for Etihad and Emirates in Canada, and Air Canada in the UAE. Result? Major visa problems for Canadian passport holders in the UAE. this could happen anywhere in the world due to trade disagreements. Being part of the EU gives us that but more protection in these things.

I've not voted in general elections, even though there's often things offering expats there too (like introduction of a US style
Tax system for Brits overseas), but this has the potential to affect our freedom and ease of movement, and could potentially force many people back to the UK who have no right to remain elsewhere.

after the mahoosive cock up during the GE when our postal votes arrived the bloody day of the election, I've switched to proxy

Haven't received them yet! Filled in first set of forms and sent back in time ... When should they arrive by?

There are always plenty of reasons not to vote but as mardasSnails says this vote can effect you and your children's right to free movement for the rest of your lives.

Perhaps I should or can add. As Mumsnet is 99% female. Women should be taking every opportunity to vote. Anyone who says "it does not concern me" is betraying the hundreds, thousands if not tens of thousands of women and a good few men who have fought for the right to vote.
If those comments are against Mumsnet posting guidelines then I am sorry but also a little sad.

I really dislike that, people aren't betraying anyone. They fought for our right to vote if we so chose to. To give us the privilege of being able to. If people don't want to do so it isn't a betrayal, it's us exercising our right to a choice which is exactly what feminism did for women. Gave us the choice.

The postage was free. Some EU mail services told people to pay postage but it wasn't needed. The envelopes were prepaid.
www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jun/07/thousands-eu-referendum-postal-votes-feared-lost-germany