A change in UK law removed the requirement on expats to have lived in the UK in the past 15 years to vote in a parliamentary election.
The Tories are getting so desperate ahead of the next general election, that Tory associations have been told to build up a bank of proxy votes in a bid to take advantage of new rules allowing an extra two million British expats to vote in the General Election.
Guidance from Conservative Central Office is urging local Tory associations to contact relatives of 2 million British expats now eligible to vote abroad.
A change in UK law removed the requirement on expats to have lived in the UK in the past 15 years to vote in a parliamentary election. The change means that around 2.1 million people are now being targeted by political parties ahead of the general election campaign.
The rule changes mean voters can now act as a proxy to up to four others, two of whom can be UK residents.
“CCHQ will be operating a service to try to find proxy voters for overseas electors,” the instructions, as seen by The Times, say.
The paper further reports: “While party officials will seek a proxy in the constituency where the overseas-based voter is registered, allowing the proxy to attend the polling station and cast the proxy in person, CCHQ’s “preferred recommendation” is for people to act as a “postal proxy” — meaning they can be based anywhere in the UK and submit the other person’s vote by mail.”
Each proxy voter now has the ability to act for at least two overseas electors, which the Tories are trying to take advantage of.
It shows the extent to which the Tories have changed electoral laws to tilt the playing field in their favour.
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
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