BRIEFING PAPER Number 5923, 12 May 2021 By Neil Johnston Overseas voters Inside: 1. Current registration of overseas voters 2. Background 3. Votes for Life 4. Number of overseas voters 5. Barriers to overseas voters casting a ballot 6. Representing overseas constituents 7. Previous attempts to change the 15-year rule 8. Lengthening of the electoral timetable www.parliament.uk/commons-library | intranet.parliament.uk/commons-library |
[email protected] | @commonslibrary Number 5923, 12 May 2021 2 Contents Summary 3 1. Current registration of overseas voters 6 2. Background 8 2.1 The Representation of the People Act 1985 8 2.2 The Representation of the People Act 1989 10 2.3 Home Affairs Select Committee report October 1998 11 2.4 The Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 12 3. Votes for Life 13 3.1 The Government’s 2016 proposals 13 3.2 Overseas Electors Bill 2017-19 16 Second reading debate 16 Public Bill Committee 17 Report stage 17 3.3 2019 manifesto commitment 18 4. Number of overseas voters 19 4.1 How many extra voters could there be? 21 5. Barriers to overseas voters casting a ballot 23 5.1 General election 2015 24 5.2 General election 2017 25 6. Representing overseas constituents 30 7. Previous attempts to change the 15-year rule 32 7.1 All-party working group on overseas voting 34 7.2 Ruling of the European Court of Human Rights 7 May 2013 35 7.3 The Overseas Voters (15 Year Rule) Bill 2014-15 36 7.4 The Overseas Voters Bill 2015-16 36 7.5 Shindler and Maclennan 38 8.