A General Election in the UK has been called for the 4th of July and it’s important to register to vote now. If you live overseas as a British citizen or you will temporarily be out of the country come election day, the procedures are slightly different but you are still eligible.
If you live overseas (for example, on a year abroad), you need to register as an overseas voter and this means you can vote by post or by proxy.
After this, if you want to apply for a postal vote online, you must apply by 5pm on the 19th of June. Applying for a postal vote by post is a little more tricky as you have to make sure you get your postal vote application to your local Electoral Registration Office bt 5pm on the 19th of June so applying online is preferable.
The other way of casting your vote as an overseas voter is by proxy which is a ballot cast by one person or firm on behalf of another. If you want to apply for your proxy vote online, you must apply by 5pm on the 26th of June and if you want to apply for your proxy vote by post, you must get your proxy vote application to your local Electoral Registration Office by 5pm on the 19th of June.
If you want to apply for your proxy vote online, you must apply by 5pm on the 26th of June
It is important to remember that if you are registered in Northern Ireland as an overseas voter, you can not vote by post. You can still vote by proxy but you need to apply using a paper form.
British citizens who are abroad on election day (on holiday for example) can also arrange to vote by post or by proxy. If voting by post, your postal ballot will be sent to the address you’ve chosen no earlier than sixteen days before the election. You would need to return your ballot before 10pm on polling day.
As an overseas voter or a British citizen temporarily abroad, all of the links to register, find the correct forms, and apply for postal and proxy voting are available and accessible on the Government website. Make sure you give yourself enough time to apply and to vote.
