The European Union referendum for Britain to leave the European Union, also known as ‘Brexit’, will be taking place on the 23 June 2016. The referendum will ask voters whether or not they want to remain as a member of the European Union.
If you want to have your say, you’ll need to register by 7 June 2016. Here’s how to register to vote and a quick rundown on what your vote will mean.
What is the EU and what does ‘Brexit’ mean?
The EU, which is an initialism standing for ‘European Union’, is an amalgamation of 28 member states, many of which are located in continental Europe, based on political and economical unity.
The word ‘Brexit’ is a portmanteau (merge) of words ‘Britain’ and ‘exit’ in relation to whether or not the United Kingdom should remain a member of the European Union. Voting for Brexit means supporting the move for Britain to exit the European Union.
What is being asked at the EU Referendum on the 23 June 2016?
The referendum will ask voters to decide whether or not they want to stay as part of the European Union. Voters will be asked to mark an X next their choice: “remain” or “leave” the European Union.
Here’s more by British publication, The Week, on the pros and cons of leaving the European Union.
Who can vote?
You can vote in the EU Referendum if you are:
- A British or Irish citizen living in the United Kingdom
- A Commonwealth citizen living in the United Kingdom
- A British citizen living abroad who has been registered to vote in the last 15 years
- A British citizen living abroad who was too young to register when they left the UK, if within the last 15 years. You will need to register.
- An Irish citizen living abroad who was born in Northern Ireland and was registered to vote in the last 15 years
- 18 years old or over on the 23 June 2016
How to register to vote?
You can register to vote online here.
You can also fill in forms the old fashioned way, which can be downloaded by country: Northern Ireland, England, Wales and Scotland, and post them into the office. However, posting your forms may delay your registration and you may even miss out on your chance to vote.
You will need to register by 7 June 2016.
What is a postal vote?
A postal vote is where you send your vote in by post. After registering to vote, if you haven’t already, you will need to fill in an application for voting by post.
As taken from About My Vote website, here are the deadlines for applications to vote in the EU Referendum for each country:
For those from England, Scotland and Wales you will need to apply for your postal vote by 5pm on Wednesday 8 June. Those from Northern Ireland will need to complete an application form and send it to your local area electoral office to arrive by 5pm on 3 June 2016.
Find out more about voting by post here.
What is a proxy vote?
A proxy vote is where you appoint someone on your behalf to submit your vote at a polling station. To appoint a person to vote of your behalf, you must nominate them ‘in writing’, and give their details. This is your ‘proxy’ person.
Your proxy nominee must meet the following guidelines:
- cannot be a proxy for more than two people, unless the person they are being the proxy for is a relative.
Proxy applications require an attestation – in other words, a person who will bear witness to your application to appoint your ‘proxy’. For those individuals living abroad applying for a proxy voter, their attesting person should meet the following guidelines:
- 18-years-old or over
- resides in the United Kingdom
- has not attested more than one other application for this referendum
- knows you but is not related to you. This means the person attesting your application cannot be your spouse, civil partner, parent, grandparent, brother, sister, child or grandchild.
As stated on About My Vote website, the deadline for applying to vote by proxy at the EU referendum in Northern Ireland is by 5pm on 3 June 2016 and by 5pm on Wednesday 15 June for those from England, Scotland and Wales.
Find out more about voting by proxy here.
I will be in the UK on polling day, can I vote in person?
Yes, you can go to a polling station and vote.
Be aware that if you have already cast your vote through the postal option, you will not be issued another ballot paper. However, if you organised a proxy, you can vote at the polling station as long as you do so before your nominated proxy person.
Resources and contacts
Government United Kingdom
Website: www.gov.uk
Inquiry submission: contact form
Electoral Office for Northern Ireland
Website: www.eoni.org.uk
Helpline: 0800 4320 712
Email: [email protected]
British High Commision Kuala Lumpur
Location: Level 27 Menara Binjai 2 Jalan Binjai, Kuala Lumpur 50450, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Telephone: +6 03 2170 2200
Fax: +6 03 2170 2370
More information on the EU Referendum on Britain leaving the European Union here:
"ExpatGo welcomes and encourages comments, input, and divergent opinions. However, we kindly request that you use suitable language in your comments, and refrain from any sort of personal attack, hate speech, or disparaging rhetoric. Comments not in line with this are subject to removal from the site. "
