Please find below a briefing that sets out the Electoral Commission’s work to ensure that British citizens living abroad are registered to vote in advance of the 2015 UK Parliamentary election.

We issued this briefing to all Peers yesterday ahead of today’s short debate secured by Lord Norton of Louth - Increasing the electoral registration of British citizens living abroad. The debate is scheduled for today (Wednesday 26 November) from 3.45pm.

A few chapters of this bilingual book, newly launched at the Federação Empresarial de Portugal, presented by its President Antonio Saraiva, with foreword by the President of the Auditing Court of Portugal, Guilherme d’Oliveira Martins.
It was edited by our author Jack Soifer, supported by co-authors Francisco B.Weinholtz, John Wolf, Stefan de Vylder, Luis Silva, Armindo Palma, Henrique Neto and Viriato Soromenho-Marques.

Following a 10 month inquiry, the Political and Constitutional Reform Select Committee has published its findings on voter engagement in the UK.

Key findings include the revelation that the number of non-native EU citizens eligible to vote in Europeans elections in the UK has fallen from 1,043,629 registered EU expat voters in 2009 to only 327,883 in 2014.

Action needed! The 15 year time limit restriction on voting for expatriates is a huge deterrent in getting people to register to vote. The fact that very few expats register to vote is a huge deterrent to politicians to pass a bill removing the limit - A classic chicken and egg situation.
Yet it costs nothing in labour, commitment, money to remove it – why is it not done?  It is important that you take action – see below.

In coming issues we will publish a few chapters of this bilingual book, newly launched at the Confederação Empresarial de Portugal, presented by its President Antonio Saraiva, with foreword by the President of the Auditing Court of Portugal, Guilherme d’Oliveira Martins.

It was edited by Jack Soifer, with co-authors Francisco B. Weinholtz, John Wolf, Stefan de Vylder, Armindo Palma, Luis Silva, Henrique Neto and Viriato Soromenho-Marques.

British expats in Portugal could be excused for wincing at recent utterances by Prime Minister David Cameron.

In declaring that he was drawing a “red line” on the number of unskilled immigrants flooding into the UK, Mr Cameron said he would be demanding restrictions on freedom of movement within the EU.

Sir, recently many people have raised the issue of expat British Citizens voting in Westminster Parliamentary elections after the 15 year exclusion period.

Liberal Democrats share the concern of British Citizens abroad who lose their say after 15 years and at their Spring Conference this year voted to allow expats to continue to exercise their legitimate and democratic rights.

Prior to the European elections this past May, the alarm had been raised that the voter registration procedures throughout the European Union were convoluted, difficult to navigate for those trained, and the sheer number clouded most organisations from providing aid to citizens.

While the EU stresses democratic legitimacy of voting, and encourages mobility amongst citizens, the hurdles, which citizens residing in a member state other than their origin had to overcome, were simply ridiculous with unequal voting rights, directly contradicting basic European principles.