How pivotal could the expat vote be in 2015?

Registering online to vote is quick, easy, and important

The sunny skies and blossoming trees of May might seem like a long way away right now as 2015 limps blearily into view (unless, of course, you already live in Spain – if so, enjoy the January warmth), but the fifth month of the year will be on us before we know it, bringing with it the UK’s general election…

And as the election campaign heats up, British expats are likely to find themselves drawn into the political rhetoric as the frontrunners begin courting the increasingly important expat vote.

The electioneering has already begun. Last week, Prime Minister David Cameron told British expats that they could be key in the Conservatives winning the next election.

Tory supporters worldwide were sent a personal message by Cameron as part of the party’s internet strategy to lock-in wavering voters early. Cameron said that in an election “with so much at stake”, their vote could make the difference between a Conservative victory and a Labour victory.

Cameron’s plea to overseas voters comes after the party confirmed in its manifesto in September that it would seek to restore full voting rights for the estimated 5.5 million Brits who currently reside overseas should they win the next election.

Currently, Brits who live abroad for longer than 15 years lose their right to vote in UK general elections, with many also unable to vote in their country of residence. Both Cameron and Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg have vowed recently to put an end to this loophole, which affects around one in five British expats. Labour leader Ed Miliband has so far remained silent on the issue, but is expected to address the matter in the early months of 2015.

The message from Cameron, however, was the first tangible effort to reach out to Brits living away from the UK. In courting the expat vote, Cameron is tacitly implying just how pivotal expats could be in the general election.

David Cameron has already begun courting the expat vote

“The next election is the most important in a generation – and it’s vital that everyone who can vote gets behind our plan to secure a better future for Britain,” wrote the Prime Minister in the message.

“Of the five million British people living abroad, virtually none are registered to vote – despite the fact it’s now really simple to do online. In fact, it only takes five minutes to sign up for a postal vote.

“So today I’m asking you to think of three people you know who live abroad and encourage them to vote by forwarding them this email or sending them this link: www.overseasvote2015.com.”

Online registration for postal voting was first launched in February 2013, making the forthcoming general election the first one ever under the current system. Registration is quick and easy, but according to the Electoral Commission, as few as 20,000 Brits who live abroad are currently registered to vote.

Such apathy is understandable but potentially dangerous for Brits currently enjoying life overseas. While day-to-day affairs ‘back home’ have very little impact on one’s life spent by the Spanish Mediterranean or in an Australian garden, wholesale changes in the UK’s political direction could have an impact.

The Conservatives, for example, have promised an ‘In/Out’ referendum on the European Union should they win a second term. Any vote in favour of pulling the UK out of the EU could have repercussions for Brits living in Spain or elsewhere in the EU. Equally, while both Labour and the Lib Dems have shied away from such a referendum, their policies on inheritance tax and capital gains tax are largely more egalitarian, meaning property owners in both the UK and Spain could be forced to pay more if they sell their house or inherit a large sum of money.

Opinion remains divided on whether expats who no longer reside in the UK should be eligible to vote. The matter is highly politicised, which makes it even more imperative for those Brits who live abroad to ensure they are registered to have their say come May.

If you are a Brit living in Spain and are eligible to vote, visit https://www.gov.uk/voting-when-abroad to learn more and register for a postal vote.