The UK’s Electoral Commission is keen that parties, organisations and individuals who have an interest in encouraging participation in voting, have this briefing note information (see below) so they can use it to inform their planning ahead of the elections in 2014. Although some aspects of their plans may change, the Electoral Commission would expect the main elements to remain as they are described in this briefing note. A second and more detailed briefing is to be produced in the second week of February, 2014.

One of the particular challenges next May for the Electoral Commission, is finding ways to ensure as many overseas electors are registered as possible for the European Elections in the UK. Overseas voters will be able to vote in a UK poll for the first time since 2011 (unless already excluded by the 15-year-limit) and cannot, for obvious reasons, be reached as easily as the domestic electorate.

The deadline to register for these European Elections as an overseas voter is midnight on Wednesday 7th May, 2014.

 Elections-May-2014-briefing[1]

Further guidance on registering as an overseas voter can also be found on the Electoral Commission website: www.aboutmyvote.co.uk.

It’s worth registering as an overseas voter for the UK ‘s European Elections in 2014, to also be included within the Individual Electoral Registration databases being established by local electoral officials for the General Election in May 2015.