At the Electoral Reform Society, we believe democracy is never a finished project.

Something so hard won requires constant attention, updating and improvement if it is to remain healthy. That is particularly true at a time when public trust in politics is being eroded, political scandals continue to dominate headlines, and concerns about foreign interference in British democracy are growing.

Against this backdrop, we welcome the Representation of the People Bill, which saw it’s second reading debate this week. The Bill contains several important steps forward: extending the vote to all 16 and 17-year-olds, widening the range of accepted voter ID, and strengthening the powers of the Electoral Commission. These are reforms that we have long championed.

What MPs were saying in the debate

The Second Reading debate this week reflected the seriousness of the moment. MPs across the House recognised the stakes for the health of our democracy. While many welcomed the Bill’s direction, there was also broad acknowledgement that it does not yet match the scale of the challenge. It represents genuine progress, but stops short of the deeper, systemic reforms that our democracy ultimately requires.

Today sees the first reading of the Representation of the People Bill, the government’s landmark legislation reforming how elections work. This promises to make some fundamental reforms to the way we vote, as well as who can cast a ballot on election day – many of which we have been campaigning on for years.

The headline reform is the first expansion of the franchise in half a century, as the bill will expand the voting age in all elections to 16. Firstly, this will end the unfair and absurd situation that now exists where 16 and 17-year-olds can vote in half the country, Scotland and Wales, but not the other half, England and Northern Ireland, purely due to where they live. Sixteen and 17-year-olds have been voting in Scottish Parliament and local elections since 2014, and in Wales for Senedd and council elections since 2021. The ERS has long campaigned to end the inequalities that have developed in our national franchise, and it is right that ministers are taking action to address them.

Lowering the voting age will future-proof our democracy by engaging young people in the political process at the point where they are starting to take on the responsibilities of adulthood, and also help them cast that all-important, habit-forming first vote. When people vote early, they are more likely to keep voting for life. The important thing is now to make sure young people are supported to cast the crucial first vote with proper, impartial citizenship education explaining how politics and elections work in this country, as well as improving the voter registration system.

It is likely the reason the government chose to call the legislation the Representation of the People bill was so it harkens back to predecessor acts of the same name that widened voting rights, starting with the first Representation of the People Act of 1832 (more commonly known as the Great Reform Act), which arguably set Britain on course to becoming the modern democracy it is now.

Flexible voting and improving registration

The bill is also looking to make voting simpler and improve the registration process This is something the ERS has again campaigned hard for, as the Electoral Commission estimates that around 8 million people are currently not on the electoral register and the UK has recently been named as one of the most difficult places to register to vote.

Participation is the lifeblood of our democracy, and if fewer people are voting it is becoming weaker. If you are eligible, you should be registered automatically. Automating voter registration will make life simpler for voters, help enfranchise millions and set our democracy on a healthier path by helping to ensure everyone who is entitled to do so has the opportunity to cast their vote.

The bill gives Electoral Registration Officers powers to access existing government data in order to register voters more automatically and allows for pilots to take place to try out different ways of doing this. It is urgent that the government takes these pilots forward quickly to ensure automatic registration is in place for the next general election and millions of voters don’t miss out on taking part.

Cleaning up money in politics

Another key area of the bill is looking at tightening the rules around donations and money flowing into our politics. After the last few weeks, the public will be rightly concerned about the influence that money and the super wealthy can exert on our democracy. Our politics should not be for sale to the highest bidder, and the current rules are outdated and riddled with loopholes that help donors evade transparency – which only damages trust in politics.

There is a caveat with the current bill, in that the government launched an inquiry into foreign financial interference in our politics, which is being headed by the former senior civil servant Philip Rycroft. This is likely to bring forward recommendations that could further shape the bill. So will likely see the full scope of what the bill intends after the inquiry reports back at the end of March.

This bill is an opportunity that must be taken to ensure dark money doesn’t corrupt our democracy. We have long called for greater transparency and tighter rules on political finance, and it is welcome to see proposed changes to protect the UK’s democracy from foreign funding.

There also needs to be a donations cap to prevent huge sums pouring into politics and distorting it towards serving special interests rather than the national interest. The rules need to ensure that politicians are always focused on the needs of voters, not donors.

A big missed opportunity on electoral reform

However, there is a huge glaring omission in the bill – and that is the lack of action on Westminster’s faltering electoral system. At the moment, millions of votes simply don’t count.

The last general election was the most disproportional ever, meaning this Parliament least represents how the British people voted in history. That situation could get worse at the next general election as our two-party system struggles to cope with the new reality of five and six-party politics.

We welcomed the government’s move to scrap First Past the Post for mayoral elections, but the same rationale should mean that ministers can also see that the same malfunctioning system should be scrapped for Westminster.

If the government really wants their Representation of the People Bill to live up to its name, it needs to scrap Westminster’s outdated and distorting voting system and replace it with a fair proportional system that accurately reflects how people voted with seats in Parliament.

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In a statement to parliament today, the democracy minister set out the changes the government plans to make in the forthcoming elections bill.

Last week we set out what we hoped to see in the legislation, and it is great to see so many of those democratic reforms confirmed by today’s statement.

Thanks to your support, we are now going to see some hugely positive steps towards improving our democracy.

Extending the franchise

This highly anticipated bill will make the historic move to extend the franchise to 16- and 17-year-olds, something we have long campaigned for. We know that engaging young people in democracy, alongside improved democratic education and support, makes long-term improvements to participation and engagement, and not just for young people.

A registration revolution

Alongside this, the government confirmed their intention to improve voter registration. We have consistently been making the case for a modernised and more automated registration system to make it simple for voters. The UK’s registration system lags other countries and puts up unnecessary barriers for voters. We need to get the missing millions on the register and this will help to do so.

A reassessment of the unnecessary voter ID scheme

After a long campaign highlighting the unnecessary and damaging impact of compulsory photographic voter ID, it is great to see that the government has listened and will be making significant changes to the scheme to scrap the need for photo ID and move to allowing the types of non-photographic ID that voters will have access to, such as bank cards.

This is something we have been pressing for, and it will go a long way to reducing the damage of this unnecessary scheme.

Tackling dodgy money in politics

If dark money can buy influence, it damages our democratic institutions. And right now, that’s a real risk.

Measures to tighten political finance loopholes to ensure that impermissible donations cannot sneak into our politics and measures to strengthen the Electoral Commission’s ability to enforce the rules are also crucial in protecting our democracy.

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Thanks to your support, today we have moved a step closer to a democracy that works for everyone. You can support our work further by becoming a member.

Members support our work in parliament, in the press and online – making the case, and backing it up – for how we can fix Westminster’s broken system.

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One year on from the General Election and we are eagerly awaiting the government’s Elections Bill, expected to be tabled in the next session of this parliament.

The bill is likely to contain measures, promised in the manifesto, on extending the franchise to 16 and 17 year olds, improving voter registration and strengthening the rules around political donations.

We would welcome these changes. Reforms to ensure everyone can access their vote and to reduce the influence of money in our politics cannot come soon enough.

With just over half of eligible voters participating in last year’s General Election, the need for bold, effective change is clear. The Elections Bill offers a real opportunity to upgrade our electoral arrangements and begin to address these problems – and it must not be wasted.

Here’s what we believe the Elections Bill must include to strengthen our democracy:

Votes at 16

Research shows that the earlier someone is engaged in a democratic process the more likely they are to continue to engage throughout their life. Lowering the voting age to 16 and strengthening citizenship education can help nurture more active citizens for the future health of our democracy. 16 and 17 year olds in Scotland and Wales can already vote in national and local elections and where people see votes at 16 in action, they don’t want to go back.

Automatic Voter Registration

Our estimates have found that up to 7.6 million eligible voters are missing from the electoral registers in England and Wales. Numbers vary across constituencies but in the worst areas, up to a fifth of potential voters may not be on the register. Automatic registration would see electoral administrators populate the register from existing data sources before confirming with voters and ensure fewer voters miss out on their chance to participate.

Constituency boundaries

One of the impacts of incomplete electoral rolls is that, with parliamentary boundaries drawn on the basis of registered electors, constituency boundaries are not truly representative of their populations and not all citizens or eligible electors are counted. We support boundaries being based on more accurate data to truly reflect constituency size.

Repeal Voter ID rules

Since the introduction of voter ID, over 40,000 potential voters have been turned away from polling stations and not returned. And that’s just those we know about. Many more have stayed at home and for some voters, such as those with a disability, the scheme has had a greater impact.  Voter ID is putting up another barrier to people who are already likely to be less engaged in democracy and may already find it difficult to participate. This disproportionate and unnecessary policy should be scrapped. If the Voter ID requirement is not removed, significant changes should be made, such as expanding the types of accepted ID and allowing for declarations on the day.

Cleaning up political finance

A fifth of all major political donations in the two decades between 2001 and 2021 came from just 10 individuals. With party finding so reliant on so few there is a real risk that our politics can be bought by the highest bidder. We need a level playing field, where all voters feel they have a stake in our democracy not just those with the deepest pockets. There is also much that can be done to improve transparency and protect our democracy from foreign funding such as introducing a risk-based ‘know-your-donor’ policy; closing the loopholes around donations from unincorporated associations and improving transparency on donations and spending.

Strengthen enforcement

For any rules to be effective, we need effective enforcement and monitoring. We are strongly opposed to ministerial involvement in setting the Electoral Commission’s strategy as part of the ‘Strategy and Policy Statement’ introduced in the Elections Act 2022. The Electoral Commission should have the powers it needs to obtain and share information to ensure compliance and there should be an increase in the maximum fine it is able to levy.

Fair votes

Ultimately addressing disengagement and disempowerment means giving voice to voters and to their local communities and this cannot happen without also making changes at Westminster. After the most disproportional election in British electoral history, it is time our political system valued every vote and every voter in every part of the country and moved to a proportional electoral system.

For Mayors too, moving from a preferential system to FPTP was a huge mistake in the last Elections Bill and one that could be righted with a move back to the Supplementary Vote (SV) or to the Alternative Vote (AV).

We need to rebuild our democracy to put it on stronger foundations for the future and ensure everyone can participate. The Elections Bill is an opportunity to begin this process and we will be calling on the government to ensure it does just that.

A key moment to improve our democracy

This Elections Bill represents a welcome opportunity to modernise our democracy and restore public confidence in the political process. By expanding participation, improving transparency, and strengthening oversight, the government can help ensure that our elections are fair, inclusive, and fit for the 21st century.

But reforms on paper are only the beginning – what matters is meaningful action. As the Bill moves through Parliament, we’ll be watching closely to ensure it delivers on its promises and truly puts voters at the heart of our democracy.

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As momentum builds for electoral reform, your support is more important than ever. Our members support our work in parliament like this, as well as in the press and online – making the case, and backing it up – for how we can fix Westminster’s broken system.

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The deadline to register to vote in the local elections on 1 May was 11 April. Last February we estimated that 8.2 million voters were missing or incorrectly registered on the electoral roll across England, Scotland and Wales. Since then, we have had local elections, Police and Crime Commissioner elections, by-elections and a general election; all which saw huge voter registration effort carried out by the Electoral Commission, local and national governments and civil society organisations – yet the problem of incomplete and inaccurate electoral registers persist.

Evidence from the 2024 general election shows that four in five poll workers had to turn at least one person away from the polling station as they were not on the electoral register. Whilst it may seem an obvious thing for many to do, registering to vote is not as easy or high up the to-do list for many; yet these people should still have access to voting. Students, private renters and people with learning disabilities are all less likely to be registered than the rest of the population.

The people left behind by voter registration

Consider a University student who has just left home for the first time, who has never had to register to vote before. Their parents received the annual canvass and crossed them off as they do not live with them anymore. If they move into university provided accommodation, they are not responsible for sorting out energy bills or council tax etc. Then when polling day comes around, the student finds they missed the registration deadline, and are unable to vote. This elector has dropped off the electoral register and been denied their right to vote.

Consider a private renter. The English Housing Survey 2021-2022 shows that 50% of these renters have been in their current home for less than 3 years. With elections (normally) every 5 years, this means that half of private renters are likely to be at a new address for each general election. With every move a renter makes comes with the admin of setting up a home again, they set up bills, council tax, figure out their commute and their local supermarket, get renters insurance – but bottom of that list is registering to vote. Through their housing circumstance they are less likely to be registered to vote.

Consider a person with a learning disability, often they are reliant to varying extents on their carers, friends and family to assist them in exercising their right to vote whether than be at the polling station or in the registration process. Mencap research showed that the registration system is inaccessible for learning disabled people, with 60% of those surveyed finding the process of registering to vote “too difficult”.

The solution is automatic voter registration (AVR)

In all these instances, potential electors are unable to vote due to a system that is designed around the normative concept of the voter. It’s time for that to change.

Friday 11th April should be the last time electors have to register to vote in our elections. Automatic Voter Registration (AVR), the process whereby someone is automatically entered onto the electoral roll, rather than having to opt in; would remove this burden on the elector and improve the accuracy and completeness of the register. This enfranchisement of millions of voters could have a huge impact on the number of people who turn out to vote. Considering turnout at the 2024 general election was the second lowest since 1918, does it not make sense to try a different system of registration?

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A fresh call for modernising democracy came last week from the people that run our elections.

The Association of Electoral Administrators (AEA) have published a new report, New Blueprint for a Modern Electoral Landscape: How to bring resilience and capacity to UK democracy. The body, which represents Electoral Administrators across the UK, condemned the UK’s current electoral system, likening it to trying to operate in the 21^st century using 19^th century infrastructure.

They highlight how the disjointed approach to electoral law has led to a disjointed electoral landscape, which is becoming with every reform, “more complex […] increasingly difficult to understand, navigate and administer.” And it’s not only the administrators that are struggling with the current state of the system, electors are often left feeling “frustrated or disappointed”.

This new report called for dozens of recommendations to strengthen and improve democracy from both the administrator and voter perspective, including everything from registration to polling day.

The ERS welcomes various recommendations in the report specifically the calls for:

Make voting days more flexible

Flexible voting, which would allow people to vote across multiple days, including the weekend and anywhere in their local authority would improve the accessibility of polling stations. It would move our voting system inline with the way we move through our lives, giving us more options for when and where we vote.

Imagine a nurse, with an irregular work pattern who works at a hospital on the other side of their local authority from where they live. On polling day, they miss out on voting as on they cannot get to their designated polling station before it closes. Under a system of flexible voting, not only could they have voted on a day which they weren’t at work, they could have popped out on their lunch break to a polling station near their work or even managed to nip into one closer to work on their way home. Voting should be built around how we live – there is no reason for people to be denied the right to vote because of logistics.

Exploring automatic voter registration

It may seem normal to us, but why do we have to register to vote? It’s a legal requirement to be on the electoral roll, so it’s not like we have an option to not register. Many other countries have adopted automatic or more automated registration; isn’t it time the UK caught up? The AEA supports exploring the use of automatic and or more automated registration, something which we have long campaigned for. Not only would this help with the accuracy and completeness of the register, but it would remove an unnecessary barrier to voting. People that regularly move house such as young people, minority ethnic groups, people in lower DE socio-economic groups and people in privately rented accommodation tend to drop off the register, and only realise when it is too late.

Consolidating and standardising electoral law across the UK

The AEA noted that electoral law is difficult to navigate and fragmented across various Acts and statutory instruments, leaving electoral officials piecing together different bits of law to create a full picture of electoral law. They call for a consolidation of this law under a single Electoral Administration Act. Not only would this simplify navigation for administrators, but it would also bring together the national differences in election law in one document; whilst respecting the differences between the nations.

Reviewing the list of ID you can use to vote

The Elections Act 2022 introduced the requirement for photo ID to vote for the first time. Since the outset we have been adamantly against requiring voters to present photo ID to vote and have campaigned tirelessly for a U-turn on this unnecessary policy. However, if a complete U-turn is not possible, extending the list of accepted IDs is non-negotiable if we’re going to try to mitigate the negative effects of Voter ID.

The AEA has also identified that the list of accepted Voter ID needs to be extended, and the potential to include a digitally issued ID or voter authority certificate so that a physical ID is not mandatory. Voter ID has not had equal effects on all demographic groups, we know that voters over the age of 85, those with severely limiting disabilities, the unemployed, people without qualifications, those who had never voted before and people in lower DE socio-economic groups are less likely to hold ID. A number of these groups are less likely to turn out to vote in the first place. Hopefully, by increasing the number of accepted IDs and introducing a digital ID this barrier will be lessened if it is not eliminated.

Reviewing impact of Election Acts on different demographic groups

It’s not only Voter ID which has had an unequal impact on different demographic groups, the AEAs report highlighted the “unintended challenges” some groups are facing due to the Elections Act. They use the example of care home residents who, due to “the limit on how many applications each year a person may attest for absent vote and VAC [Voter Authority Certificates ] applications, combined with new identity verification requirements, had negative impacts for some care home residents”. A full review of the Elections Act 2022 should be undertaken to ensure that no demographic group is unequally impacted due to the changes.

Elections should be organised around the way we live our lives today, not stuck in a rut set in the Victorian age. The AEA’s recommendations would be a good start.

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You might have noticed that there’s a general election approaching. Whilst the date of the election may have taken us all a little by surprise, the ERS communications team were ready to go and making our issues headline news during the campaign.

The team are always working hard to get our issues onto the desks of Ministers and journalists, pushing vital democratic issues higher up the news agenda to increase public support.

At such an important time for British democracy it’s important for everyone to take stock of what we need to do to make our democracy fairer for everyone.

Reforming the House of Lords

With the launch of the manifestos the public got answers on how each of the main parties would choose to deal with our bloated and undemocratic second Chamber. Labour have declared a number of reforms will be in their priorities, if election; an age cap and productivity requirements on all Lords, and an end to the 92 aristocratic hereditary peers. All to eventually work towards a second chamber that is representative of the nation’s regions and nations.

Of course, as longtime campaigners for an elected second chamber we were asked for our opinion. We expressed our support for the proposed changes in the I and the Express.

Extending the vote to 16 and 17 year olds

Another announcement made by the Labour campaign in the last few weeks has been the intention to extend the vote to 16- and 17-year-olds, if elected. This is a huge win for us here at the ERS, as we have long been campaigning on this issue. We were featured in the Independent and GB News.

The millions missing from the electoral register

The huge amount of people who failed to make the registration deadline to vote in the General Election has highlighted our campaign for Automatic Voter Registration (AVR). A simple change that is likely to happen in Wales and would mean that one more administrative, time-consuming task is taken out of the hands of voters. We were featured in the Mirror and Politico and our Director of Research & Policy, Dr. Jess Garland, was invited onto the Politics Home podcast, the Rundown, to discuss this issue.

Proportional representation and safe seats

Thanks to our disproportionate electoral system, it’s no wonder that many voters feel they must turn to tactical voting to feel their vote counts and makes a difference. This is an issue we have been asked to discuss with many journalists, including the Independent.

Due to our unfair voting system, we compiled data showing that over 100 seats in the UK have not changed hands for 100 years or more. This research was featured in Byline Times, the Conversation, and the Big Issue. On the Pod Save the UK podcast Dr. Jess Garland was invited in to discuss how safe seats are breaking our electoral system.

Whatever the outcome of the General Election, the Electoral Reform Society team will be looking for every opportunity to make democratic reform front-page news.

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As momentum builds for electoral reform, your support is more important than ever. Members support our work in parliament, in the press and online – making the case, and backing it up – for how we can fix Westminster’s broken system.

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Last week, the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee published a new report on Electoral Registration. Even though electoral registration is mandatory, millions of people are missing from the electoral register, and the ERS has long campaigned to lower this first barrier to voting. It is unacceptable that millions of eligible voters are missing from the electoral rolls.

We submitted evidence to the Committee and were pleased to see that they supported nearly all our recommendations.

The report recommends the following:

A move to Automatic Voter Registration (AVR) and better data sharing

Moving house is a big deal and registering to vote can often be a low priority. Many people may only realise they didn’t register when it is too late.

The Committee called for a system of automated voter registration and asked for The Electoral Commission to complete “a detailed plan including milestones and dates for moving towards implementing automated voter registration with a clear outline of how people can protect their data privacy.”

Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) also need a better system for updating records. The Committee suggested data sharing between the DVLA, DWP, and HM Passport Office to allow EROs to use that data fully. The Committee also highlighted the need to ascertain whether people could be added to the electoral register when they interact with these agencies.

A single electoral register

The Committee also called on the Government to look into creating a single national electoral register for England. A single register would address the issue of duplicates and registration being lost when moving house.

Better education and signposting for 16-year-olds

While you can’t vote in a general election until you are 18, you can register in advance as an ‘attainer’ from 16. To increase the number who register from 16, the Committee recommended that when national insurance numbers are issued, they should include signposting to ways to register to vote.

Places of learning should also be supported in their efforts to “better educate young people about the importance of voting and to encourage them to register to vote”.

Reviewing voter ID

The Committee had various common-sense recommendations surrounding voter ID including:

• The Electoral Commission should properly assess the impact of voter ID before the next general election.
• The Government should work with specific groups, such as disabled voters and those with learning disabilities, to raise awareness of the voter ID requirements.
• The ID list should be broadened to include other forms of ID such as police warrant cards, emergency services passes and non-London travel passes.
• Central and local government and the Electoral Commission need to work together to ensure that the Voter Authority Certificate is known about and accessed by all those that need it.

This is the fourth parliamentary committee that has recognised the problems with voter ID. The government needs to act on these recommendations and create a system that works for voters not against them.

Reducing pressure on electoral administrators

The Committee acknowledged the evidence from the Association of Election Administrators and highlighted the “insufficient practical detail” given to help prepare for the changes the Elections Act 2022 brought in. They also recommended that the burden on local authorities and administrators due to the Elections Act 2022 should be assessed by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. If the findings indicate further funding is required, “this funding should be provided as a matter of urgency”.

Consolidating Electoral Law

At present “electoral processes and administration are more costly, burdensome and inefficient than they should be”. The Committee urged the Government to prioritise time and resources to “update, consolidate and simplify electoral law for the 21st century” within a reasonable timeline.

We support the committee’s conclusions that our electoral registration system desperately needs updating.

Not only are voters being let down by an unworkable and out of date registration system, they are also facing additional hurdles in the unnecessary and damaging voter ID scheme.  The government should be focusing on increasing the amount of people who vote, not throwing up extra hurdles.

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Analysis by the Electoral Reform Society has revealed that an estimated 8.2 million eligible voters are missing from the electoral register in England, Scotland and Wales. If moved onto the register this huge figure has the potential to alter the results of any election. But it doesn’t have to be like this – the simplest way to ensure those eligible to vote are enrolled on the register, which does not rely on labour-intensive activist-led electoral registration efforts, would be a move to Automatic Voter Registration (AVR).

In October, legislation was introduced which would enable over 3 million more British citizens to vote. Wondering where the government have found 3 million extra voters? They’re the long-term UK diaspora, as the Guardian termed them.

These citizens have been living overseas for more than 15 years and new draft legislation, if passed, will allow them to vote from early 2024, which means they’re likely to be able to exercise their new right to vote in the next General Election.

Brief history of overseas enfranchisement

The Elections Act 2022 removed the 15-year limit on overseas voter registration (which came in in 2000). Overseas voting for those who had been living or working outside of the UK has been around in some form since 1985.

Before 1985, British people living abroad couldn’t vote in UK elections. The Representation of the People Act 1985, allowed citizens who were resident overseas to remain the electoral register for up to 5 years.

In 1988-89 a Bill was introduced to extend the franchise to those who has been resident outside the UK for 20 years. However, in 2002 Section 141 of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 was enacted, reducing this to 15 years. In December 2019 (the last General Election) 233,000 overseas voters were registered to vote, if the draft legislation goes ahead, the Government estimates number of overseas citizens eligible to register to vote will be close to 3.5 million.

As is the system now, these 3.5 million voters will have to register in the last seat they had a connection with.

How do other countries deal with overseas voters?

The main two ways in which countries deal with overseas voters are to have their vote counted in their last known constituency in the country or to use ‘overseas constituencies’.

Italy is an example of overseas constituencies being used. It has four overseas constituencies – one mega constituency that covers all Italians living in Europe, Russia, Turkey and Greenland; another for all of South America; one for all of Africa, Asia, Oceania and Antarctica; and a final one for Central and North America.

Many countries use special constituencies for overseas voters to mitigate several potential issues; overseas voters may have not been back to their home constituency in decades or no longer have any connection to the constituency; MPs don’t have much experience in dealing with issues specific to overseas citizens, and their issues may not be prioritised as the citizen is not in present in the local constituency, leaving overseas citizens sidelined.

Special constituencies ensure overseas voters are represented by someone who understands and is well-versed in issues which are specific to overseas citizens. In 2010 France enfranchised their overseas voters further by creating 11 overseas constituencies, each electing one member to the National Assembly.

So, what are the pros and cons?

Allowing all overseas citizens to vote will increase the franchise to include all British citizens, many argue that a democracy is not a full democracy until all citizens are enfranchised. It has been argued that overseas citizens still have a vested interested in the governance of the UK, for example some may continue to pay tax here, or have the right to access state pensions, or have dependents and family living in the UK which they care for. Therefore, it is said they should have the right to vote in a country which they have strong ties to and citizenship of.

Conversely, arguments in opposition to extending the franchise to British citizens overseas include the risk of foreign money, and therefore power and influence, making their way into elections via donations from citizens overseas. They also note that citizens who are living overseas are far removed from the country and the day-to-day experience of living there, thus their priorities will be different from voters in Britain. As a long-term resident of a foreign country, they will be integrated in the country they have chosen to live in, and their daily lives are more greatly impacted by the decisions made in that country.

What do you think?

The Electoral Reform Society doesn’t have a position on whether British citizens living abroad should be able to vote for 5, 20, 15 years or for life. Sadly, many of these voters will spend some considerable time trying to prove their connection to a seat they left decades before, only cast their ballot in a safe seat where their votes will make no difference – due to First Past the Post.

We are concerned though about the risks of foreign money using long-term foreign resident voters as a backdoor to influence our democracy. We’ve also noted the irony of ‘vouching’ being good enough to join the electoral register, but not to cast a vote.

But what do you think? Should all British citizens get the vote no matter where they live?