Moving to France? Take your vote with you

Electoral Commission urges house-movers to register to vote

If you have moved to France, don’t miss out on your chance to vote in the UK.

On 5 May, there will be elections in many parts of the UK, as well as the first UK-wide referendum in 35 years, and the deadline for Brits living overseas to register to vote is 14 April. The referendum is on whether the UK should use the first past the post’ system to elect MPs to the House of Commons, or whether it should use the alternative vote’ system instead.

The Electoral Commission, the independent elections watchdog, is calling on all people who are moving house, whether within the UK or overseas to countries such as France, to take their vote with them.

“If you’ve moved house,” says Clinton Proud, head of campaigns and public information for the Electoral Commission, “you need to register at your new address, so make sure it is one of the first things you do when you unpack.”

Brits living overseas can find out more details about their eligibility to vote, as well as print off a registration form or register to vote at www.aboutmyvote.co.uk/

A spokesperson at the Electoral Commission told French Property News: “We’d advise people living in France to consider the usual timescales involved for post to reach them and be returned before deciding whether to use a postal vote or voting by proxy. The important thing to note is that, to apply to vote by post or proxy an individual needs to ensure that they are registered to vote.”