Memorandum by Ministry of Defence (MOD)
(POS 33)
1. The Representation of the People Act
2000, and the Representation of the People (Scotland) Regulations
2001, presented Service personnel with a wider range of electoral
registration options. They may now register to vote at their private
or other qualifying address, Service Families Accommodation or
Single Living Accommodation, or register to vote by means of a
Service declaration, or by rolling registration. A fresh Service
declaration must be made every 12 months and, together with all
households in the United Kingdom, all Service voters will receive
an annual renewal notification from the Local Electoral Registration
Officer with whom they are registered. It is the individual responsibility
of each member of the Armed Forces to register to vote annually.
2. Those overseas who are registered as
Service voters can only vote by proxy. Those in the United Kingdom,
who are unable to vote in person, may vote either by post or by
proxy. Those individuals who choose to register on an electoral
register—and who are not registered as Service voters through
a Service declaration—will be able to vote by either post
or by proxy if they are overseas or away from home during an election.
3. Electoral registration and voting, in
any form, is a private life issue and is entirely a matter between
the individual and the Electoral Registration Officer of the area
the individual is registered to vote in. All new entrants to the
Armed Forces are made aware of the procedures and options for
registering as voters. A Defence Council Instruction has been
issued annually on the action that each Service man or woman needs
to take in order to register to vote (the terms of this instruction
have now been incorporated into Queen's Regulations for all three
Services).
4. The MOD also provides any necessary assistance
to personnel and their dependents (especially when overseas) to
register or vote in line with the individual's electoral registration
choice. For example ships, units and stations may hold their own
stocks of registration forms and are encouraged to retain a list
of Electoral Registration Officers. However, the MOD does not
monitor or control the choice an individual makes, or have any
involvement in the logistics of the registration or voting process.
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