British citizens now have lifelong right to vote

Tuesday 16 January 2024

An estimated three million British citizens who have lived abroad for more than 15 years have regained the right to vote in all UK elections – a move which is likely to impact many British citizens living in the Channel Islands.

This change follows the implementation of the Elections Act 2022, which now allows British citizens living overseas to vote for life.

It scrapped the previous rule that someone could only register to vote for 15 years after they left the UK.

The Conservative Party said that this "represents the biggest increase in the British electoral franchise since the introduction of full female suffrage in 1928".

This update aligns the UK with other major democracies like the US, France, Italy, and New Zealand, which also have lifelong voting rights for their citizens abroad.

The end of the 15-year rule means millions more could be enfranchised in time for the next general election – the date of which has yet to be decided by Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak.

Voting rights will be based on the last UK address where citizens were registered to vote or lived.