UK Government Ministerial Roundtable on Overseas Electorate Changes

On 21 June 2023, Baroness Scott of Bybrook, UK Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), invited Lib Dems Abroad, represented by George Cunningham and Caroline Padbury, to attend an online Ministerial roundtable to discuss forthcoming secondary legislation to enact the 2002 Elections Act which will enfranchise all British citizens living abroad.

Officials from the DLUHC Elections Directorate, Conservatives Abroad, Labour International, British in Europe and Bremain in Spain also attended. 

An overview was provided by the DLUHC into the proposed technical / operational changes that could be made to support the implementation of the overseas element of 2022 Election Act, split into the Registration Process (register-to-vote online; Identity verification; and address verification) and the handling of Absentees and Renewals. The DLUHC will consult the Electoral Commission, who will provide further scrutiny of the plans and processes before bringing this Secondary Legislation to Parliament. This was followed by a discussion.

The current working assumption is that the legislation will come into force in January 2024, enabling the registration of new overseas voters to begin, with registrations remaining valid for three years.

For more background, please see: https://www.libdemsoverseas.com/votes-for-life