Brit expat voting rights in UK elections and referendums

[orientalist]

4 hours ago, worrab said:

You can now as of April 2019. I was back in July for 3 weeks and a good friend of mine who works for the NHS told me this has happened. It must be right as I did not have to pay the NHS fees when at Specsavers! 

I also got a free eye test on a recent visit based simply on my being over 60.

 

The current regulations for those "not ordinarily resident" in the UK allow for free GP visits and A&E, but not other hospital care except for a few things such as treatment of infectious diseases.

[sandyf]

19 hours ago, worrab said:

Yes they can as long as they were registered to vote whilst living in the UK. I have done it and am registered as an overseas voter.

 

Quite. I was in the UK at the time of the referendum so went to vote. The downside is you must vote at the polling station for your last registered address. Cost me most of the day travelling, but at least it was free on my bus pass.

[NanLaew]

16 hours ago, Kalasin Jo said:

Its not a government endorsed platform, it's a parliamentary platform. Not the same thing at all.

I stand corrected.

 

So it gives people who can't be bothered to vote, can't be bothered to register to vote and others with no voting or legal rights a voice in parliament?

 

On their home page it states, "Anyone can start a petition as long as they are a British citizen or UK resident". In this new age of state-sponsored hacking and electoral interference, how do they verify this?

[evadgib]

5 hours ago, NanLaew said:

On their home page it states, "Anyone can start a petition as long as they are a British citizen or UK resident". In this new age of state-sponsored hacking and electoral interference, how do they verify this?

Several recent petitions were suspected to have been hacked by Russian/other bots but as yet it is far from clear what HMG can do about it.

 

In the 21st C it is reasonable to expect to be able to communicate with HMG in any capacity (Passport? Tax? Proof of life? Voting?) electronically via secure Govt gateway from anywhere in the world.

[rickudon]

I have been registered to vote for some of the time I have been in Thailand, but there are a few problems Yes easy to register, you can do online. But you cannot vote online ……

 

you either have to vote IN PERSON at your designated polling station (was able to do that once) or

 

get a postal vote …… but the postal vote usually arrives to late for your vote to get back in time to be counted when you live in Asia,

or

 

Get a proxy vote (again, must be done at your local polling station) - my son has voted for me, but he now lives elsewhere, and I am not keen on giving my vote to any Tom, Dick or Harry just because they nominally belong to the same party.

 

Given that we have the government gateway online, why not let it be used for voting? after all it is considered secure enough to apply for pensions, tax, etc., must be as secure as walking into a polling station and giving a name and voting (I have NEVER been asked to prove my ID when voting in person!)

[Expattaff1308]

On 9/15/2019 at 10:46 PM, elliss said:

 

 UK residents , and  those paying community tax,  are the only ones , who should have the choice to vote .

  The rest are just, i have , etc ...

 

So should British Tax Payers wherever they live

[billd766]

18 hours ago, rickudon said:

I have been registered to vote for some of the time I have been in Thailand, but there are a few problems Yes easy to register, you can do online. But you cannot vote online ……

 

you either have to vote IN PERSON at your designated polling station (was able to do that once) or

 

get a postal vote …… but the postal vote usually arrives to late for your vote to get back in time to be counted when you live in Asia,

or

 

Get a proxy vote (again, must be done at your local polling station) - my son has voted for me, but he now lives elsewhere, and I am not keen on giving my vote to any Tom, Dick or Harry just because they nominally belong to the same party.

 

Given that we have the government gateway online, why not let it be used for voting? after all it is considered secure enough to apply for pensions, tax, etc., must be as secure as walking into a polling station and giving a name and voting (I have NEVER been asked to prove my ID when voting in person!)

 

Get a proxy vote (again, must be done at your local polling station) - my son has voted for me, but he now lives elsewhere, and I am not keen on giving my vote to any Tom, Dick or Harry just because they nominally belong to the same party.

 

What you can do is to keep your son as a proxy voter and as a postal voter as well. He will be able to complete your vote early and post it to where you are registered,

 

The reason that I know that is because my friend was my proxy and she moved, so I contacted the local electoral registration and they told me what to do.

[Kalasin Jo]

On 9/16/2019 at 11:07 AM, HHTel said:

Not true.  When you return to the UK, you only have to state that you have returned for settlement.  You will get full NHS and benefits immediately.  I know as I've done that.  My children changed my mind after 6 months and we returned to Thailand.

when did you do that? Current info. coming out of UK.gov says otherwise.

[OJAS]

1 hour ago, Kalasin Jo said:

when did you do that? Current info. coming out of UK.gov says otherwise.

Indeed:-

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/using-the-nhs-when-you-return-to-live-in-the-uk

 

[partington]

6 minutes ago, OJAS said:

Indeed:-

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/using-the-nhs-when-you-return-to-live-in-the-uk

 

What do you mean indeed?

 

Your link verifies that you are entitled to NHS care immediately as long as you can show you are really resident in the UK, and this can be done by presenting any of the large number of example documents they cite on day 1 of your return if you have them.

 

I also know this because I recently returned to the UK after 20 years away, signed up to a local GP immediately, and was referred to a hospital (nothing serious) a few weeks after that.

[OJAS]

45 minutes ago, partington said:

What do you mean indeed?

 

Your link verifies that you are entitled to NHS care immediately as long as you can show you are really resident in the UK, and this can be done by presenting any of the large number of example documents they cite on day 1 of your return if you have them.

 

I also know this because I recently returned to the UK after 20 years away, signed up to a local GP immediately, and was referred to a hospital (nothing serious) a few weeks after that.

Bully for you if you had the required documentation to hand on day 1 of your return. Highly unlikely that I would, though.