British expats must hurry to cast their votes

Every British citizen who has been registered to vote in the UK within the last 15 years is eligible to vote in UK Parliamentary (general) elections, European Parliamentary elections and referendums in the UK.

If you were too young to register when you left the UK, you can still register as an overseas voter so long as your parent or guardian was registered to vote in the UK, providing you left the UK no more than 15 years ago.

How to vote

Once you’re registered, you’ll need to decide how you want to vote depending on your personal circumstances.

Ballot papers can be sent overseas, but you need to think about whether you have time to receive and return your ballot papers by 5 May. If you don’t think you can return them in time, you may want to consider voting by proxy.

Those who wish to register can also consider faxing or scanning and sending their forms by email to the appropriate Electoral Registration Office in the UK rather than sending them by post.

For more information on the voting process, visit the UK Electoral Commission website for overseas electors at www.aboutmyvote.co.uk/overseas.