NON - Should ex-pats be allowed to vote in the UK election?

A

AFCB Lost in Brum

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A post by Al on another thread had me pondering....

If someone has left this country to build a life in another then should they still be allowed to vote in this country's elections?

Should there be a time limit on when their right to vote here ends - 3 years after they left, 5 years, 10 years, etc?

Is it OK for people who've effectively turned their back on the UK to still be trying to influence events here some 30 years on?
 
It's currently limited to 15 years after leaving isn't it? Perhaps that's too high, maybe 10. 5 isn't enough imo, but I'm talking as someone who has been gone for nearly 7 and will most likely return between 10 and 15 years of being away so I am biased.

As it happens, I probably won't bother to register to vote, but I may do. I say this based on people I've met, but I'd expect the majority of expat voters to vote Tory. Ultimately most of us move away because it's financially beneficial to do so.
 
AFCB Lost in Brum said:
A post by Al on another thread had me pondering....

If someone has left this country to build a life in another then should they still be allowed to vote in this country's elections?

Should there be a time limit on when their right to vote here ends - 3 years after they left, 5 years, 10 years, etc?

Is it OK for people who've effectively turned their back on the UK to still be trying to influence events here some 30 years on?
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Silent is correct. 15 years is the rule.
So, probably after 12 years here, only 3 more general elections left for me. ;o)

I would have to come back and live in the UK for 18 months if I wanted to start that 15 year process again.

It should be pointed out, that 16 countries in Europe have votes for life for their ex pats.

During a French election, London is the 4th biggest turn out for French voters.
 
To flip the question, if those outside the country lose their vote after a certain period then shouldn't people who have been resident in the UK for more than five or ten years get to vote even if they aren't citizens? They're paying into the system, contributing to society but could have very good reasons for not taking out citizenship. The UK is their home and benefits from their long term presence but they aren't allowed to partake in the system.
 
SlowDownDerek said:
Surely the logical conclusion for those saying they shouldn't vote here.. because they don't pay tax or live here.. is that immigrants who do pay tax and live here should be able to vote.
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I’ve always thought this to be the blindingly obvious solution and it amazes me when people look aghast when you suggest it.

When I lived and worked in France and Italy, I paid taxes there, used all their public services, suffered with strikes like everyone else and was a citizen through all the ups and downs. I couldn’t vote to change any of that but was able to vote back in the UK where none of those things applied to me anymore.

It never made sense to me then nor does it now. Vote where you live surely... for both expats and immigrants to here.
 
kirsikka said:
Should have read your comment before posting!
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I think you raise a good point about there being a certain period. It's probably sensible to require a certain level of commitment to the host country such as 5 or 10 years. You wouldn't want an unscrupulous government to allow lots of new supportive voters into an area to try and swing the vote in their favour.
 
The Flying Picket said:
If ex-pats want to vote in UK elections, then they should also be subject to UK income tax, capital gains tax and inheritance tax on their worldwide income and assets, just like UK based taxpayers.
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That is the US model: American citizens are required to pay US taxes irrespective of where they live. The way it works in practice is that, if they live in a country where tax is lower than the combination of state and federal taxes at home, they have to make up the difference.

When I worked for a US company one of my colleagues who was from New York had to do that (and constantly moaned about it). If, however, the US citizen pays higher taxes than they would at home then they had nothing to pay. So another colleague, from Tennessee, was laughing because it was a low tax state.

The US is one of only two countries to base taxation on citizenship. The other, bizarrely, is Eritrea.
 
In my opinion it should be in line with the rule on immigrants moving to the UK. Everyone should have the right to vote somewhere. So after the time elapses for immigrants living and registered in the UK to be allowed to vote, ex-pats should at that same point lose their right to vote.

I wouldn't be offended if I lost the right to vote in the UK, but it would frustrate me because I'm not eligible to vote in the Czech Republic.
 
afcb.czech said:
In my opinion it should be in line with the rule on immigrants moving to the UK. Everyone should have the right to vote somewhere. So after the time elapses for immigrants living and registered in the UK to be allowed to vote, ex-pats should at that same point lose their right to vote.

I wouldn't be offended if I lost the right to vote in the UK, but it would frustrate me because I'm not eligible to vote in the Czech Republic.
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Did you move out there for work. Interesting place to live and work
 
UK citizens living abroad = Ex Pats
Foreign citizens living in the UK = Immigrants

Amazing how we have different phrases to describe essentially the same thing. Shows the influence the language of the media has on people.

Since I’m saying these 2 groups are the same then rules should be the same. If we allow British immigrants abroad to vote, overseas expats in the UK should have the same rights and vice versa.
 
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