Expat Life - A guide to the practicalities of liveing on Fuerteventura

Many people move here thinking that life will be all beaches and barbies! Well a lot of it is, but you also need to deal with the practicalities of life. This series of articles is designed to make this easier for you.

Don't Lose your Right to Vote in the UK

There are some things you miss while living abroad. Voting doesn’t have to be one of them. Living abroad doesn’t stop you having your say back home in UK General elections and European Parliamentary elections.

Personally I am torn as Fuerteventura is now my home, but I am still a British Citizen and what little state pension I may get in the future is in the hands of the government so I still feel I should have a say.

Every British citizen who has been registered to vote in the UK
within the last 15 years is eligible to vote. And you don’t have
to come all the way back to Britain to do it, as when you register
you have the choice of voting by proxy, post or in person.
Because a General election could be called at any time, it is
important to keep your registration details up to date.
So don’t miss out on having your say.

Approximately 761,000 British expatriates live in Spain but very few are registered to vote in the UK. According to Head of Campaigns and Public Information at the Electoral Commission, Nina Ziaullah, overseas voters are severely underrepresented on the UK Electoral Register.

She said: “There are fewer than 20,000 British expatriates on the electoral register, a tiny fraction of the estimated six million Britons living abroad. Part of the problem is that many overseas voters simply don’t know that they are eligible to vote. Many people also wait until an election is called before they register. However, if a snap election is called, there may not be much time to get registered which is why it is important to do so now.”

British citizens in Spain who have been registered to vote in the UK at any time within the past 15 years can register as an overseas voter. Those who were too young to register when they left the UK, must have parent or guardian who has been registered.

Registered overseas voters are eligible to vote in elections to the UK General Elections and European Parliamentary elections, but not UK local government elections or elections for the devolved assemblies.

To register to vote from overseas:
· Download an overseas registration form from www.aboutmyvote.co.uk/
· Sign the declaration and asking another British citizen living overseas (but not a close relative) to sign the witness declaration.
· Return a completed form as soon as possible to the nearest electoral registration office (contact details are available at www.aboutmyvote.co.uk)

Once someone is registered, they can choose to vote in person at their local polling station if they are in the UK on election day. If not, they can apply to vote by post or by proxy.

In order to publicise its registration message, the Commission is mailing out posters and leaflets to British embassies abroad as well as running online advertising, direct marketing and public relations campaigns. Ziaullah said: “This campaign is on a greater scale and is more targeted than ever before. We want to reach as many Britons living abroad as possible – reminding them that while they may miss things about home, they don’t need to miss out on their chance to vote”