The expat voting campaign has hit its target of 100,000 registered overseas voters and indeed comfortably exceeded it , but…….

The Electoral Commission has now confirmed that the number of overseas British citizens who applied to register to vote in the General Election before the deadline of 20 April 2015 is 113,742. This is more than triple the number of overseas voters previously registered before a General Election and exceeds our target of 100,000. It is also almost twice the size of the average UK constituency, and larger than the largest constituency in the UK. In other words, the campaign, the introduction of online registration and the push by the Electoral Commission have had a significant impact.

…..there are reports of some constituencies failing to send out ballot papers in time.

However, these applications to register need to translate into registrations, and into votes, at local level. Unfortunately, we are receiving reports from supporters of the campaign, as well as the international sections of the UK political parties, of incidences of failures to send out ballot papers in proper time before the election on Thursday 7th May , and, in some cases, of difficulties in simply confirming the registration at local level.

If you have not been able to exercise your right to vote:

1. Complain to the Electoral Registration Officer at your local council office.
2. Complain to the Electoral Commission – stating clearly the name of the failing constituency and circumstances. The email to which such complaints should be sent is the following: info@electoralcommission.org.uk or click on here to complete their contact form: www.electoralcommission.org.uk/contact-us
3. Send copies to the French (English language) journal The Connexion e-mail : news@connexionfrance.com. This paper is compiling a dossier of these instances.
4. Copy to Brian Cave of the Votes-for-expat-Brits campaign as he is also compiling a dossier – e-mail: lefourquet@gmail.com – unless the political party of which you are a member is compiling a similar dossier and you prefer to copy to them.

The On-line Telegraph has already taken up this issue here:

General Election 2015: Expats in uproar over missing ballot papers ahead of Thursday’s poll

To keep up to date on this election voting paper scandal you are also recommended to follow developments on www.connexionfrance.com where The Connexion is reporting on the wrong postage on ballot packs here.

Jane Golding & Brian Cave