travel and UK voting

spearmintsorbet

Sorry if this is not the right forum, please let me know!


I need to register for the May 2015 election as I'll be abroad when it happens and voting is very important to me. Voters have 2 separate registrations for those living in the UK and away/busy on election day, or those 'living abroad' / 'overseas voters'. Both of them can use a proxy vote, but the forms and info are different and overseas voters cannot vote in local elections.


No amount of checking about my vote or other websites seems to turn up any definition of what defines 'living abroad' in terms of voting e.g. the time period. Can anyone help?


Thanks in advance

richardw

How many days before May 7th is your UK date of departure?

Archergirl

How long will you be abroard for? Have you tried phoning your local council?

SW17

Where is what you consider your permanent residence? How much of the year do you spend in the UK. Are you tax resident in the UK for income tax etc?

mgdavid

talk to your local authority.
Find out when they send out the postal voting forms - will you be here to receive it and vote before you go abroad?

spearmintsorbet

Hi, thanks to all for your posts
as I said, I definitely won't be in the UK when the election happens.


But this isn't so much specific to me, as a general query that others must have wondered too and doesn't seem answered anywhere obvious. If you are normally a permanent UK resident and tax payer, how much time abroad redefines you as a voter 'living abroad'?


If anyone knows, please post, thanks! I continue to research and contact authorities for an answer, so far no reply, but if I get one I'll post it

mgdavid

spearmintsorbet wrote: »

......
as I said, I definitely won't be in the UK when the election happens.
......

Repeating that doesn't help us help you; what would, is answers to the questions in posts 2,3,4 and 5.

spearmintsorbet wrote: »

...... If you are normally a permanent UK resident and tax payer, how much time abroad redefines you as a voter 'living abroad'?......

Resident and Living can be treated as the same; it's clear to me that you would be 'living abroad' once you are *not* resident or paying taxes in the UK.
I fancy you may be making this more complicated than it need be. One needs all the facts pertaining to a specific case (hence all the questions), then the application of common sense and logic will almost cetainly provide the right answer.

Armorica

mgdavid wrote: »

Repeating that doesn't help us help you; what would, is answers to the questions in posts 2,3,4 and 5.

Ditto - if you are working overseas for years is clearly a very different situtation to simply being away for the weekend.

richardw

From the horse's mouth gov.uk

British citizens moving abroad
You can register as an overseas voter for up to 15 years after leaving the UK, as long as:

you’re a British citizen
you were registered to vote in the UK within the previous 15 years (or, in some cases, if you were too young to have registered when you left the UK)
Just register to vote in the normal way.

spearmintsorbet

mgdavid wrote: »

Repeating that doesn't help us help you; what would, is answers to the questions in posts 2,3,4 and 5.



Resident and Living can be treated as the same; it's clear to me that you would be 'living abroad' once you are *not* resident or paying taxes in the UK.
I fancy you may be making this more complicated than it need be. One needs all the facts pertaining to a specific case (hence all the questions), then the application of common sense and logic will almost cetainly provide the right answer.

Hi, I wrote this because someone asked if I would be out of the UK on election day, even though it's contained in the 1st post.


Again, this is not about my particular situation but about establishing the voting definition of 'living abroad' which must be in some way legally defined, so no details are necessary. I believe we have arrived at the answer relating to being resident for tax purposes, so thanks to everyone for their kind help.

mgdavid

spearmintsorbet wrote: »

.......I need to register for the May 2015 election as I'll be abroad when it happens and voting is very important to me. ...... No amount of checking about my vote or other websites seems to turn up any definition of what defines 'living abroad' in terms of voting e.g. the time period. Can anyone help?
Thanks in advance

spearmintsorbet wrote: »

.... this is not about my particular situation.....

make your mind up.
Another one for my blocked poster list.