Government making 'best arrangements possible' to ensure soldiers can vote

Gordon Brown has stated that the government is currently in the process of making the "best arrangements possible" to ensure that soldiers serving in overseas conflicts can cast their vote in the upcoming general election.

''It is absolutely right that everyone should have the chance to cast their vote in every election," he said.

As the current situation stands, military personnel who are posted abroad at the time of an election are able to cast their vote by post or proxy.

Proxy is the Electoral Commission-recommended means of voting and involves a trusted family member, spouse or friend casting a vote on a soldier's behalf.

Conservative MP for Newbury Richard Benyon has urged the prime minister to guarantee that the armed forces will be able to vote, in order to avoid a "perverse situation" where they are fighting to give people in warzones the right to a fair democracy, but are being denied the opportunity to take part in the electoral system of their own country.

According to the Ministry of Defence, 65 per cent of serving personnel are currently registered to vote.

Posted by Trevor Smith

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