Brexit Mythbusters

Many of the British living in the EU-27 were unable to vote in the EU referendum because of the 15-year rule. This means that British emigrants living outside of the United Kingdom for 15 years or more lose their right to vote in national elections and referenda in the UK.

In the 2016, the numbers of British citizens living overseas registered to vote rose from 35,000 to 264,000, likely the consequence of concerns about what Brexit would mean for this population and also the ease of the newly introduced electronic registration system. However, this was also a time when many British citizens living in the EU-27 discovered—for the first time—that they had become disenfranchised and were not eligible to vote. 

Over the course of the research, the project team followed the parliamentary debates about the successive bills aiming to remove the 15 year limit, and offer British emigrants living overseas a lifetime vote.  You can find out more in the following pieces:

• Michaela and Chantelle's piece Putting UK citizens abroad on the electoral map? Brexit, the demos and the overseas vote, UK and a Changing Europe Blog, 23 February 2018
• Michaela's piece Who do government's represent? The history of voting rights for Brits Abroad? Europe Street News, 29 November 2019