Each year the Electoral Commission works with the MoD on a campaign to encourage members of the armed forces and their families to register to vote.
As part of this campaign, hundreds of electoral registration events, supported by advertising, posters and information leaflets, will take place at military bases across the UK and overseas throughout February.
This year the challenge is to register as many service personnel and their families by the deadline of 18 April 2012, ahead of the elections on 3 May 2012.
With the latest research from the MOD showing that one in four members of service personnel are not registered to vote, the challenge is a significant one.
Members of the armed forces are highly mobile; moving house, moving base and being deployed overseas are all factors that result in lower registration rates.
Registration
There are two ways that members of the armed forces can register; as an ‘ordinary voter’, by filling in a registration form as part of the annual canvass, or as a ‘service voter.’
As an ordinary voter, a person remains on the electoral register for a year and has to re-register when they receive their annual canvass form.
However since 2010, when the Service Voters Period Order was introduced, those registered as service voters can remain on the electoral register for five years.
Voting
The law gives people three ways of voting: in person; by post; or by proxy, where the voter appoints someone to vote on their behalf.
For UK-based personnel, voting is straightforward. Being deployed overseas presents a different challenge.
Appointing a proxy is often the only way that members of the armed forces on deployment overseas can vote.
If voting by post, service personnel should remember that ballot papers cannot be sent out before 5pm on the eleventh day before the poll.
In June 2011, the government published proposals to extend the timetable for UK parliamentary elections from 17 to 25 days.
The Commission has called for this change since 2003 because it has the potential for ballot papers to be sent out sooner, allowing more time for overseas voters to return their votes in time for the count.
But for this to happen, the rules also need to be changed to allow postal votes to be issued earlier.
The challenge
Jenny Watson, Chair of the Electoral Commission, said: “We want every member of the armed forces who is eligible to vote to be able to do so. They put their lives on the line for their country, and many protect the democratic rights of others overseas. We want to get the ‘register to vote’ message to every member of the armed forces and their families.”
Total Politics readers can help by tweeting a link to our website, www.aboutmyvote.co.uk/armedforces, which contains printable registration forms, linking to this page from their own websites and spreading the message amongst armed forces communities.
Comments
Brian Cave / January 26 2012 7:32am
This is a hugely important matter. BUT NOTE - Every British person should have a say in Government wherever they live, or work for life - not cut off after 15 years. There is a major campaign (www.votes-for-expat-brits.com ) to draw attention to this issue. At the end of the second world war the change in Government was largely achieved by the vote of the armed forces - saying 'we want a new order in Government' Just think what servicemen could do do for the country or their home town by using their vote!
There is however a confusion in the article between the vote for the local councils and for Parliament. But at the local elections the argument is still true. You will not get change by just talking about it. Get your vote and use it PLEASE help also to get the votes for Britons Abroad permanent. Visit the link below and leave a comment.
www.votes-for-expat-votes.com
Rodney Harper / January 26 2012 9:00am
We note that only one in four (25%) of service personnel are registered to vote and this comprehensive programme is aimed at a substantial increase in this number to give them a democratic voice.
There are also only some 30,000 (1%) registered out of an estimated + 3 million other overseas British nationals entitled to vote. This includes an estimated 750,000 on shorter term overseas assignments of an average 5.4 years, working off-shore for British companies and contributing to the British economy. Excluded are those British citizens who have lived outside the UK for more than 15 years and can no longer legally vote.
Can we expect a similar programme to substantially increase the registration of these qualified overseas voters?
Rodney Harper
Administrator
www.votes-for-expat-brits.com