More islanders to be able to vote in UK elections

Wednesday 10 March 2021

More islanders who previously lived in the UK will be able to cast a vote in elections there in the future.

In its latest Budget, the UK Government has put aside an additional £2.5m to remove a limit preventing British citizens who live overseas from voting after 15 years.

It means more individuals from the Channel Islands who attended university in the UK or previously worked there will be able to vote.

The opportunity to vote will also be extended to people who left the UK as children, as long as their parent or guardian was on the electoral register when they left, and as long as they sit within a 15-year window.

“Currently, British citizens living abroad may register as overseas electors if they have been registered to vote in the UK within the previous 15 years,” said a Cabinet Office spokesperson.

Pictured: The change appeared in the smallprint of the Budget released by Chancellor Rishi Sunak last week.

“The Government was elected with a manifesto commitment to “make it easier for British expats to vote in Parliamentary elections and get rid of the arbitrary 15-year limit on their voting rights."

The “arbitrary” limit has been in place in various forms since 1985 and £2.5m of the 2021 budget will be used to fund the change in legislation.

These changes will not be immediate and will only come into effect after the legislation is laid before the UK Parliament later this year.

Pictured: Islanders who lived in the UK will only be able to vote in the constituency they or their parent/guardian were originally registered in.

“The Government is considering the appropriate legislative vehicle to deliver these changes and will make an announcement on its intentions in due course,” said the Cabinet Office. 

It may allow more islanders to vote in referendums, although those rules are decided at the time.