Absent Voting: British Nationals Abroad
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of whether overseas electors in (a) Australia and (b) UAE can receive postal ballot papers posted from the United Kingdom in line with the legal deadlines for returning them.
Answered by Samantha Dixon
The responsibility for arranging the timing and dispatch of postal votes sits with the Returning Officer for each electoral area. As such, it falls to them to assess the likelihood of an elector’s postal ballot pack being dispatched, returned and completed before the close of poll.
The Electoral Commission advises Returning Officers to prioritise overseas postal ballot packs. Since 2016, the Government has supported Returning Officers by funding the use of the International Business Response Licence - which expedites the return of ballot packs from overseas, as well as covering any postage costs that might otherwise be incurred.
The Electoral Commission also advises that, in cases where it may not be realistic for a postal ballot pack to be dispatched, completed and returned before the close of poll, the Electoral Registration Officer should make the elector aware of this and advise that they vote by proxy instead. The online absent vote application service includes similar advice for electors applying for a postal vote.
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