Postal votes

franjames
franjames Forum Participant Posts: 13

I just wanted to enquire if anyone had any suggestions regarding the practicalities of voting when overseas and no way wishing to get involved in the politics of it

Comments

  • SteveL
    SteveL Club Member Posts: 12,311 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 2016 #2



    If your question is related to the EU vote, probably best to post the question here.

  • DavidKlyne
    DavidKlyne Club Member Posts: 13,873 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 2016 #3

    The Electoral Commission offers this advice and you can enter your postcode to find the office nearest to you.

    David

  • franjames
    franjames Forum Participant Posts: 13
    edited February 2016 #4

    Thanks for that!

  • cyberyacht
    cyberyacht Forum Participant Posts: 10,218
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    edited February 2016 #5

    The problem, even with postal votes, is that the papers only come a couple of weeks or so before the event so if you are on a long-term trip.....

  • DavidKlyne
    DavidKlyne Club Member Posts: 13,873 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 2016 #6

    The problem, even with postal votes, is that the papers only come a couple of weeks or so before the event so if you are on a long-term trip.....

    I think this will be our difficulty as we are not due back until a week after the vote. Shame they don't do internet voting. I might have to nominate one of my sons as a proxy.

    David 

  • Metheven
    Metheven Club Member Posts: 3,987 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 2016 #7

    We too shall be away, and I don't know the full options as yet but 'proxy' seems the only way at the mo'

  • franjames
    franjames Forum Participant Posts: 13
    edited February 2016 #8

    I am sure last year the postal votes were sent out three weeks before the election. In which case we can have our forms sent direct to a campsite and still have time to return our votes ( think it may well beTourismo again as we loved it last year!)

  • Metheven
    Metheven Club Member Posts: 3,987 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 2016 #9

    Well we are away for 9 weeks with no pre-planning on stays or when we will be in any particular country. It's an important vote so I'm sure it can be covered.

  • kenexton
    kenexton Forum Participant Posts: 306
    edited February 2016 #10

    Nick Robinson explained the time line yesterday and,if I understood him correctly,Parliament has to ratify the date of the EU Referendum first-even though we all think it will be June 23rd.Then there have to be x weeks before  official campaigning  starts
    and x weeks of campaigning prior to the vote.He said that this meant that it would be April before the whole thing had a "legal basis";so it could be quite a while yet before Postal Votes etc may be registered.Abroad might be the best place to be to keep your
    sanity with four months of it ,on all channels ,all day long to look forward to.It is very important for us all I agree  and I have already decided how I shall vote -so I may need a darkened room to hide in or a trip,abroad before June 23rd. to avoid going
    completely ga ga with it all.

  • Marz
    Marz Forum Participant Posts: 33
    edited February 2016 #11

    hello

    Don't know whether it is the same on the mainland but here in Northern Ireland a postal vote can only be sent to an address in the U.K. so you would need to check that out. We will hopefully be away from 3rd June so a  proxy is our only option as postal votes are usually sent out about a 10 days before the referendum. The closing date for applications in Northern Ireland is Thursday 2nd June.

  • DavidKlyne
    DavidKlyne Club Member Posts: 13,873 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 2016 #12

    Looks as If I may have to go a week earlier and come back a week earlierWink

    David

  • royandsharont
    royandsharont Forum Participant Posts: 735
    100 Comments
    edited February 2016 #13

    You can register with the Local Authority to have all or certain types of votes sent to you by post. I am pretty sure you can then also elect to have these done as a proxy as well. They are generally posted out 3 weeks before the polling date. Regards, Roy

  • kentman
    kentman Forum Participant Posts: 147
    edited February 2016 #14

    I enquired about a postal vote for last year's election but as one correspondent has implied, the ballot paper would not have arrived with us before we left home. Like others, I am going to look into proxy voting as we will be abroad for a month prior to
    the election.

  • Unknown
    Unknown Forum Participant
    edited February 2016 #15
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  • Wherenext
    Wherenext Club Member Posts: 10,607 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 2016 #16

    We were registered as Postal Votes but the forms never arrived last year! Complained but got the equivalent of a Gallic shrug. So no guarantee of anything. We'll be home this year so we've taken ourselves off postal and back to making an 'x' in person.

  • NutsyH
    NutsyH Club Member Posts: 535 ✭✭✭
    edited February 2016 #17

    We too shall be away, and I don't know the full options as yet but 'proxy' seems the only way at the mo'

    We had a similar problem at the last general election. The only option is appoint a proxy if you are away "long term". Just be sure the proxy votes the same way as you!!

     

  • KjellNN
    KjellNN Club Member Posts: 8,673 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 2016 #18

    Looks like OH needs to do proxy voting too as we are away mid April till late June.

    I don't have a vote, so just one of us to register.

    How do you do it?

  • peedee
    peedee Club Member Posts: 9,392 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 2016 #19

    You can register with the Local Authority to have all or certain types of votes sent to you by post. I am pretty sure you can then also elect to have these done as a proxy as well. They are generally posted out 3 weeks before the polling date. Regards, Roy

    I have voted by post in the last few elections and I pretty sure Roy is correct. You certainly get the papers well before the election date and more than 10 days before and they have a deadline to be received before poling day.

    peedee

  • eurortraveller
    eurortraveller Club Member Posts: 6,831 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 2016 #20

    Those of us going away at referendum time could even set up a parliamentary "pairing" arrangement on here  - matching up people in the Out camp with those on the other side. My mother and father had that arrangement in general elections for much of their lifetime. They would have voted for opposite sides, so they both agreed not to vote. 

  • Metheven
    Metheven Club Member Posts: 3,987 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 2016 #21

    I could set up a 'pairing' agreement but I'm afraid I would secretly renege to get an advantage Wink

  • DianneT
    DianneT Forum Participant Posts: 521
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    edited February 2016 #22

    We have been away in Europe for the last two General Elections and though normally have a Postal Vote it does not come through in time for us so we voted by Proxy Vote which my son does for us.  You have to sign up with your local council easy peasy.

    DianneT

  • Wherenext
    Wherenext Club Member Posts: 10,607 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 2016 #23

    Looks like OH needs to do proxy voting too as we are away mid April till late June.

    I don't have a vote, so just one of us to register.

    How do you do it?

    Write your comments here...just get in touch with the Electoral Register Officer at your local county council. That's what we do so assume it's the same in Scotland.

  • DianneT
    DianneT Forum Participant Posts: 521
    100 Comments
    edited February 2016 #24

    Looks like OH needs to do proxy voting too as we are away mid April till late June.

    I don't have a vote, so just one of us to register.

    How do you do it?

    Write your comments here...just get in touch with the Electoral Register Officer at your local county council. That's what we do so assume it's the same in Scotland.

    I  just contacted the Local Borough Council Office by phone....

  • cyberyacht
    cyberyacht Forum Participant Posts: 10,218
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    edited February 2016 #25

    I've got an identical twin brother. They'll never know it isn't me. Wink

  • Unknown
    Unknown Forum Participant
    edited February 2016 #26
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  • franjames
    franjames Forum Participant Posts: 13
    edited February 2016 #27

    The very same! Thanks for your recommendation last year. This site lives up to it's reputation as one of the best in Europe.We were the sun starved Brits who chose the sunniest pitch which of course just got hotter and hotter and the wall behind acted like
    a storage heater we could take the daytime temperature of 38" but not nights of 28"! We moved up north to another site recommended here, Chave Grande (thanks again) and pitched right under a tree this time , we had learnt our lesson. We hope to return to both
    sites this June as we made many friends Portugese and Ex Pats.

  • Unknown
    Unknown Forum Participant
    edited February 2016 #28
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  • royandsharont
    royandsharont Forum Participant Posts: 735
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    edited February 2016 #29

    Looks like OH needs to do proxy voting too as we are away mid April till late June.

    I don't have a vote, so just one of us to register.

    How do you do it?

    Hi KjellNN, You can go on your local authority or government web site and download the forms & complete them & return it to your local authority electoral office. Mine is very helpful and by telephone they will send the completed forms out for you
    to sign & return. If I recall correctly I could even scan & email ours back. I have just spoken to the lady about our son’s registration & future votes for when he returns home for a short while before moving abroad. As I said, very helpful in East Yorkshire.

    I am just a bit curious, why don't you get a vote, I assumed you would living here regardless of your birth nationality/passport? Regards, Roy

  • KjellNN
    KjellNN Club Member Posts: 8,673 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 2016 #30

    Thanks, will pass that on.

    No, I cannot vote here at all.  I believe Irish and Commonwealth citizens can vote, and EU citizens can vote in local and EU elections only.