THE BRITISH Conservative Party has launched a new website aimed at British citizens living overseas.
The website, www.conservativesabroad.org focuses on the British expat community. It is designed to be a hub for British citizens who have lived overseas for less than 15 years and can still vote in UK elections. Latest figures suggest that one in ten Britons now live abroad and that numbers are growing.
Currently, just under 200,000 people move abroad each year and of those, only 17,500 are registered to vote in UK elections.
The Chairman of the Conservative Party’s International Office, Gary Streeter said: “I hope this site helps British expats feel more connected to each other. Wherever they are in the world, they are able to maintain an interest in the Conservative Party and link up with other Conservatives around the world.”
The Chairman of Conservatives Abroad, Lord Taylor, said: “In the past not enough has been done to tell British citizens living abroad that they are still able to vote in the UK election. We hope the website will make people aware of the fact that they still have a role to play in British elections.”
A spokeswoman for the Conservatives yesterday told the Mail: “We hope the new website will help British expats in Cyprus feel in touch with the Conservative Party. We’re very much looking forward to hearing people’s views via the blog on the website and hope that it will lead to a two-way dialogue and good working relationship in the future.”
She added that there used to be a branch of Conservatives Abroad in Cyprus approximately five years ago, which closed down as expats drifted away. “However, we are hoping to re-establish it in the near future.”
What You Need To Do
ACCORDING to the Electoral Commission, if you are a British National living overseas you are entitled to vote in UK General Elections and European Union Elections for up to 15 years after moving abroad.
In order to register as an overseas voter you will need to contact the electoral registration office at the local council covering the address for where you were last registered with in the UK.
They will send you out the forms that you need in order to register. Alternatively the form can be downloaded from www.aboutmyvote.co.uk. Registration forms may also be available from the British Diplomatic Mission in the country where you are residing.
If you have never been registered as an elector in the UK, you will not be eligible to register as an overseas voter. However, if you left the UK before you were 18 years of age you can register at your parents or guardians’ address, providing that you left the country no more than 15 years ago. You will need to contact the electoral registration office at the local council where your parents or guardian were last registered.
Overseas electors can apply to vote by post or proxy. Postal votes are sent out approximately one week before polling day, so if you are not likely to be able to receive and return a postal vote in that time, it would be better to appoint a proxy.
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