More islanders now able to vote in UK elections

Until today people from the UK were not able to vote in UK elections more than 15 years after they left the country.

But the Conservatives today scrapped the 15-year limit, allowing British citizens worldwide to register to vote online, regardless of how long they have been overseas.

The change represents the biggest increase in the British electoral franchise since the introduction of full female suffrage in 1928.

Voting will be linked to the last UK address the people were either registered to vote at or lived at.

Upon registration, they will remain on the electoral roll for up to three years. After registration, electors will also be able to apply online for either a postal or proxy vote.

It is unclear how many Guernsey residents will be able to vote, but about a quarter of the island’s population was born in the UK or Ireland.

Until 2015 the number of overseas voters registered to vote in the UK had never risen above 35,000. An overseas voter registration campaign in the run-up to the 2015 General Election and interest in the 2016 Brexit referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU saw numbers increase.

At the December 2019 General Election 233,000 overseas voters were registered.

The UK Government website is due to be updated today to allow overseas voter registration using the new unrestricted rules.

Overseas electors can then vote in British General Elections and referendums and their vote will be tied to the last UK address they were either registered to vote at or lived at.