Representation of the People Bill: Report Stage briefing on overseas voting amendments

British citizens (including eligible Irish citizens and citizens of Crown Dependencies) can register to vote in UK Parliamentary elections, using either the online register to vote service or paper application forms. They must have previously lived in the UK or been registered to vote in the UK and apply using their last UK address.  

Once registered, overseas voters can choose to vote by post, by appointing a proxy, or in person at their polling station if they will be in the UK on polling day.

Overseas voters continue to struggle to participate using existing voting options

The 2024 UK general election was the first election since the extension of the franchise to British and eligible Irish citizens living overseas for more than 15 years, removing the previous time limit.  

More than 170,000 applications to register as an overseas voter were received between this change being introduced and the registration deadline at the 2024 general election. Around 110,000 of these came after the general election was announced on 22 May 2024. In total, there were 191,338 overseas electors registered for the election. This is fewer than the 234,000 overseas voters registered to vote at the 2019 general election.  

Our research found that overseas voters struggled to participate using existing voting options, particularly when trying to return postal ballots before close of poll. In our post-poll survey of overseas voters only 46% said they were satisfied with the process, with 51% saying they were not.

Around half (49%) of all registered overseas voters registered for a postal vote. Of these, only 52% returned their ballot paper in time to be counted in the general election. This means that around a quarter of all registered overseas voters were able to vote by post, without using a proxy. The average return rate for domestic postal votes is around 80%. We do not have data on how many overseas voters voted by proxy. 

We have highlighted since the 2015 UK general election that the options for voting by eligible citizens overseas do not work well enough. There is not enough time for many overseas voters to receive and return a postal vote in time to be counted. Postal services differ globally; in some countries, regular home delivery is not standard practice. Some overseas voters do not know anyone in the UK that they can appoint as a proxy to vote on their behalf instead of relying on postal voting.

The systems of voting for overseas voters should be reformed to improve the service so that their votes can be counted. The UK can learn from the experiences of other countries that provide different ways of supporting their citizens living overseas to vote in elections, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States.

Registration of overseas electors

Part 2 of the Bill introduces a power to allow the piloting of different forms of automated registration. Based on our research, we think that it would be possible to integrate registration into passport applications for overseas voters, improving the ease and convenience of registration among this group of citizens.

Reforming overseas voting processes

At the 2024 general election, Returning Officers and suppliers prioritised overseas voters’ postal votes, dispatching them as early as possible. But this was only possible for overseas voters who were already registered for a postal vote. It would have been unlikely for anyone who applied after the election was called to have their applications processed in time for inclusion in the first batch of postal votes.  

The Government has indicated its intention through secondary legislation to move the postal vote application deadline in Great Britain to three days earlier in the electoral timetable. This, combined with an altered nomination deadline in the Bill, should give some overseas voters some further time to fill out and return their ballots.

We have recommended exploring other changes that would help remove barriers to participation for overseas voters:

• Considering whether the deadline for registering as an overseas voter allows enough time to process applications and issue postal votes for overseas voters to complete and return them before polling day
• Considering whether postal voting should be the default option for all overseas voters when they register (unless they choose to vote in person or appoint a proxy) – so that more postal votes can be issued at the earliest possible point in the timetable
• Exploring how to send postal votes to overseas voters much earlier in the election timetable – for example by sending a blank ballot paper before the candidate nomination deadline has passed, or allowing voters to securely download and print their own ballot paper, then post it (rather than relying on post arriving from the UK)
• Exploring whether some overseas voters could vote in person at an embassy or consulate in the country where they live, instead of relying on postal voting
• Exploring whether telephone-based assisted voting, as used in Queensland Australia, could be made available to overseas voters who cannot rely on the postal service

These changes would need further detailed legislation, additional funding and in some cases development of new digital or telephone solutions. These questions should be explored through feasibility studies, which should involve input from overseas voters and groups that support them, electoral administrators and their suppliers, campaigners and diplomatic staff who work overseas.