UK launches Overseas Voter Registration Day

The UK electoral commission has launched a dedicated overseas voter registration campaign to encourage British citizens living abroad to register online to vote ahead of Britain's upcoming general election, scheduled for 7 May.

To launch the campaign, the elections watchdog is hosting Overseas Voter Registration Day on 5 February in a bid to boost the numbers of UK residents overseas on the UK’s electoral registers.

This is the first general election in the UK where people can register online to vote. Estimates show that there may be as many as 5.5 million UK nationals living overseas, but there are fewer than 20,000 currently on the electoral registers. To register as an overseas voter, UK residents overseas must have previously been registered in a UK constituency within the last 15 years.

Alex Robertson, communications director at the electoral commission said: “A lot of people aren’t aware that it’s possible to register as an overseas voter for the General Election. We need to challenge the misconception that once you’ve moved overseas you can’t take part. Many people can and now it’s easier than ever to take the first step by going online.”

To register to vote, UK citizens should visit the website.