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Overseas Postal Voting at Breaking Point: Millions at Risk of Losing Their Vote
19 Plays5 days ago
The UK’s overseas postal voting system is failing — extended enfranchisement without operational capacity has created a perfect storm of lost ballots, tight timetables and systemic disenfranchisement. In this document we report alarmingly low return rates for overseas packs (average c.52% vs 81% domestically) and we explain how batching practices, snap-election application surges and short statutory deadlines conspire to make many overseas votes uncountable.
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Transcript
UK Government Expands Overseas Voting in 2022
00:00:01
Speaker
In 2022, the UK government enfranchised more UK citizens than ever before overseas. The estimated number could be over 3 million.
Challenges with Expats' Vote Counting
00:00:16
Speaker
But what are the chances of getting that vote back in time At the last general election, there was just a 6% chance of a vote cast by an expat in Australia arriving in time to be counted.
00:00:29
Speaker
It's estimated 1.1 million British expats live in Australia. From Spain, it was just a 33% chance, where over three quarters of a million Brits live.
00:00:41
Speaker
From Germany, there was a 50-50 chance. And from France, where over 170,000 live. It's even only a three in four chance of my vote counting, even from France. It's only 20 miles away.
Region-Specific Voting Challenges
00:00:57
Speaker
It's estimated that over half a million UK expats live in Canada. The chances of their vote getting back in time was under 50%. In
00:01:19
Speaker
Singapore, your chances are 44%.
2024 Postal Vote Return Rates
00:01:50
Speaker
So for those living abroad who have the same right to vote and have their vote counted as those Brits living in the UK. If you got sent your postal vote on the 13th of June at the last election as an overseas voter, there was a 70% chance of it getting back.
00:02:08
Speaker
These are the people who are permanently signed up. That's not a bad return rate. For those sent out on the 20th of June, the chance of returning it by the election day was just 15%. And in those sent out in the final batch, there was just a 2% chance of it being received and counted in time.
00:02:28
Speaker
And in the good ol' U.S. of A, estimated numbers suggest that over 650,000 Brits live in the U.S. When they vote, their vote just has a 38% chance of being counted.
00:02:40
Speaker
Not even in Vegas would I fancy those odds. Would you?
Comparing Overseas and Domestic Vote Timeliness
00:03:01
Speaker
So, when the polls closed on election night in 2024 and the ballot boxes were opened, us expats only had a 52% chance of our vote arriving in time to be counted.
00:03:14
Speaker
6% chance for us Aussies. For the postal voters living back home, they had far better odds. An 81% chance.
Potential Solutions for Improved Voting
00:03:24
Speaker
What are the potential solutions that democracy volunteers want to look into? Some countries allow voting in embassies, high commissions and consulates abroad.
00:03:34
Speaker
The UK doesn't.
00:03:44
Speaker
We're left wondering if their vote will arrive in time, let alone get counted. Some of us even report not getting our postal vote ahead of Election Day.
00:04:02
Speaker
Put simply, Britain should be able to do better than this.