United Kingdom - January 2024

On 16 January, an estimated 3.5 million British citizens living abroad became eligible to vote in parliamentary elections and referenda in the UK. Amendments to the Representation of the People Act, together with provisions on overseas voting in the Elections Act (passed in 2022), paved the way for the abolishment of a rule that citizens could only be registered to vote for 15 years after leaving the UK. The changes allow any citizen abroad who has previously lived in, or been registered to vote, in the UK to register as an overseas voter. The Electoral Commission has launched a campaign to raise awareness of the changes and to encourage the newly eligible UK citizens abroad to register to vote. An estimated 233,000 overseas voters were registered to vote in the 2019 general elections. UK electoral law allows any registered voter to donate to political parties and campaigners in the UK.

Sources: UK Parliament (1), UK Parliament (2), The Guardian, UK Electoral Commission (1), UK Electoral Commission (2), BBC, UK Government (1), UK Government (2), UK Parliament (3)