Abstract: Following the General Election in May 2015, AFF heard from Army personnel and families who had experienced issues with the postal voting process overseas. With the European Referendum taking place in June, AFF is concerned that Army families may be unable to engage with this critical democratic process. We conducted a survey in March 2016 to find out how families in the UK & overseas would prefer to vote in UK elections when posted abroad. It emerged that whilst families would prefer to cast their vote by post and not proxy, there were issues with the postal voting process. AFF would like to see a review of the process which enables the Service community to vote during overseas assignments. AFF would like the MOD to liaise with the Electoral Commission and Department for Communities and Local Government so that a range of options is considered. These include increasing the parts of the process which can be carried out online and the possibility of accessing polling stations overseas. Extensive testing should also be part of the review.
While most individuals achieve the transition to civilian life smoothly, some face significant challenges. Although numerous support services are available to those who need them, …