If you are a British citizen living outside the UK, help ensure that you can vote in the next UK election. The bill to repeal the '15-year rule' has been passed, but there is still a lot to do…
Did you know?
Currently, an estimated 3.4 million UK citizens living overseas are disenfranchised because they have lived abroad for more than fifteen years (the so-called 15-year rule). In 2016, more than 60% of UK citizens living in the EU had no vote in the UK EU referendum that led to the removal of our EU citizenship rights and changed our lives forever.
Hasn’t the 15-year rule been repealed?
The primary legislation, the Elections Act 2022, is in place to remove the 15-year rule and give lifelong votes, it still has to be implemented to take effect and work in practice. The aim of the British in Europe organisation is to ensure the timely and effective implementation, so that overseas voters can reclaim their vote in time for the next election - and critically, so that they can use it effectively when they do, given the myriad problems faced by overseas voters in the past.
What you can do…
To ensure that the processes to register and vote will work, British in Europe organisation need to get an up-to-date picture of British citizens living around the world.
They have designed a short survey which they need to be completed by as many British citizens living around the world as possible (not just in Europe). Please fill it in on their website and share widely with friends and family who live abroad too.
W: https://www.britishineurope.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/britishineurope
