ASdTorrevieja Information - tourist guide: Local assistance for expats wishing to vote in the UK Elections Local assistance for expats wishing to vote in the UK Elections ================================================================================ Keith Nicol on 06 March, 2010 05:26:00 There are thousands of expats living in Spain who are possibly blissfully unaware that even though they may live here, most likely they can have a say in the outcome of the next UK Election. Ironically, St. Patrick’s night is the evening that has been chosen when any British Citizen can receive free help with filling out the required forms, to allow you to vote in the up and coming election, which shall possibly be the most hotly contested affair since WWII. On March 17th at 1800-hrs, Torrevieja’s Virgen del Carmen Cultural Centre is where a team of English speaking experts shall be on hand to help any British Citizen interested in casting a vote. You will need to bring along your passport (or a copy with the number) and the details of your last (or present) address in the UK. The team will assist you with the form-filling there and then and your vote will then count back in the Constituency where you used to live. For the last election, only 2% of expats in Spain registered to vote. Of the two and a half million expats worldwide, the largest concentration of British Citizens living outside the UK is in the Murcia, Alicante and Valencia regions. In order to qualify, you must hold a British Passport and not have lived outside the UK for more than 15-years. Those interested only have four more weeks in order to register and this is the perfect opportunity to do so, with the minimum of fuss and maximum of assistance. More information can be found at www.aboutmyvote.co.uk and www.dontleaveyourvoteathome.com. Don’t miss out on your opportunity to vote in the next UK election. Keith Nicol NOTES FOR APPLICATION AS AN OVERSEAS VOTER DID YOU KNOW? * 2.5 million British citizens are eligible to register to vote from overseas. * At the end of 2007, just 14,000 expatriates were registered to vote. * Last year 198,000 Britons left the UK to live overseas, all of whom are eligible to vote in the next European and Parliamentary Elections. WHO CAN VOTE? If you do not live in the UK you can vote at UK Parliamentary and European Parliamentary elections if you register as an overseas elector. However, you must be a British citizen and to qualify you must fit into one of the categories below. Category One * Your name was previously on the electoral register for an address in the UK. * You were living in the UK on the relevant date for that register. * There are no more than 15 years between the dates for that register and the register you want to be on. Category Two * You last lived in the UK less than 15 years before the date for the register you now want to be on. * You were too young to be on the electoral register which was based on the last relevant date before you left. * A parent or guardian was on that electoral register, for the address where you were living on that date. * You were at least 18 years old, or will become 18 when the register you now want to be on is in force. WHEN TO REGISTER You have to register every year as an overseas elector. This means you can vote in Parliamentary Elections held in the 12 months following your registration. You may continue to register for 15 years from the date your name was last shown in the register prior to you leaving the UK. You can register to vote at any time. You do not need to wait until an election is called. HOW TO REGISTER AS AN OVERSEAS ELECTOR You will need to give your full name and overseas address as well as the UK address where you or your parent/guardian were registered and the date you left the UK. If this is the first time you have made an overseas elector’s declaration (or if you have been registered as an elector living in the UK since making a previous declaration) you will have to give additional information to show you are a British citizen. If you left the UK before you were old enough to register, you will have to provide a copy of your full birth certificate and information about the parent or guardian whose registration you are relying on. If this is the first time you have made an overseas elector’s declaration (or if you have been registered as an elector living in the UK since making a previous declaration) you will have to find someone to support what you say in your declaration. He or she can be anyone who: * Is aged 18 or over; * Has a British passport which describes his or her status as a “British Citizen”; * Knows you but is not a close relative (husband, wife, parent, grandparent, brother, sister, child, or grandchild). THE TWO VERSIONS OF THE REGISTER Whilst completing the registration form you will be given the option of removing your name from the edited register. The full register is used for elections and referendums, preventing and detecting crime, and checking applications for credit. The edited register is available for general sale and can be used for commercial activities such as marketing. HOW TO VOTE Your vote will be cast in the constituency which includes the address where you were last registered as a UK elector (or where your parent or guardian was registered). You can vote by post or proxy and the application to vote in either of these two ways Postal Ballot Papers Postal ballot papers are only sent out 10 days before election day, and you will need to consider whether this gives you enough time to complete and return your ballot paper before polling day. For this reason it is recommend that you appoint a proxy to vote on your behalf. Your proxy must be: * able and willing to vote on your behalf; * living in the UK; * a British citizen or a citizen of the Commonwealth or of the Republic of Ireland; * old enough to vote; and * legally allowed to vote. A proxy may not vote at the same election for more than two people in the same constituency, unless they are a close relative (husband, wife, parent, grandparent, brother, sister, child, or grandchild) of the people for whom they are voting. The Electoral Administration Act 2006 introduced new measures to improve the security of postal and proxy votes. Proxy voters will be required to give their date of birth and signature when applying for a postal or proxy vote. (Personal Identifier) Each local authority will write to all existing proxy voters to request their date of birth and signature on a personal identifiers form. If you do not complete and return the form, your proxy vote will be cancelled. You will not be removed from the electoral roll and can re-apply for a postal or proxy vote. Special provision can be made for those who are unable to sign the form. For more information please contact your local electoral registration office. Your personal identifier will be stored securely. Each time you vote as proxy via the post, your signature and date of birth provided on the postal voting statement will be checked against these identifiers, to ensure the postal vote remains secure. This should help guard against postal vote fraud. Your proxy must go to your local polling station to vote. If your proxy cannot get to the polling station, they can apply to vote for you by post by 5pm, 11 working days before polling day. Your application must arrive at your electoral registration office by 5pm, 11 working days before an election when changing or cancelling an existing proxy or postal proxy vote and by 5pm, 6 working days before an election when applying for a new proxy vote. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION If you require further information or assistance in registering as an overseas elector you can contact: Lesley Taylor www.dontleaveyourvoteathome.com or www.aboutmyvote.co.uk/overseas HOW TO RETURN THIS FORM Send to the Electoral Registration Officer covering the constituency where you were last registered. To find the address of your Electoral Office visit www.aboutmyvote.co.uk/overseas TAX QUESTIONS Registration/voting as an overseas elector will not be taken into account in determining whether you have UK domicile for tax purposes. MAKING SURE YOU ARE REGISTERED Once you are registered as an overseas elector you will be sent a reminder approximately 3 months before your current registration expires (so long as you remain qualified); remember you need to apply every year. Another application form will come with the reminder. The Electoral Registration Officer makes a list of overseas electors and their address abroad. This is available to parliamentary candidates so that they may send literature to overseas electors if they wish.