Expats angered by delayed and absent ballot papers

Many expat voters have not received their ballot papers in time to vote in today’s general election.

Thousands of British expats have been in uproar over delayed or missing paperwork that means they will not be able to vote in today’s general election.

Brits who have lived abroad for less than 15 years are eligible to vote in the election, but the Electoral Commission insists that votes are either made by proxy or post – a system that has left many checking empty postboxes all week in the vain hope that their forms will arrive on time…

The Daily Telegraph has reported that expats in the USA and Brazil have not received their paperwork in time, while even those in France – just over the English Channel from the UK – have faced delays or even absent ballot papers.

It has emerged that electoral registration officers in various constituencies across the UK have simply failed to send out the papers in time. Expats have to register with the constituency where they last resided in the UK, meaning some regions have been slower to respond to requests for paperwork than others.

There have been a number of complaints lodged against the Electoral Commission already, largely from would-be voters who have filled out all necessary registration forms correctly and on time.

With an estimated 5.5 million Brits living overseas, the expat vote could be more decisive in this general election than ever before, yet despite the current coalition’s efforts to try to court this bloc of people, evidence this week seems to suggest that there has been no great rush in ensuring the voices of the millions of Brits living abroad are heard.

Postal votes must arrive before 10pm on polling day today – Thursday May 7 – in order to be counted. A spokesman for the Electoral Commission said: “Our guidance to electoral administrators is clear that postal votes sent to overseas electors should be prioritised to allow the maximum time for them to be returned.

“We are aware that some overseas voters have raised concerns that they are yet to receive their postal ballot packs and we will look carefully at the evidence shared with us on this when we consider what issues to raise in our statutory election report, which will be laid out in the UK parliament in the summer.”