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mysociety / writetothem

Write to your MP, MEP, & other elected representatives.
https://www.writetothem.com
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Option for ex-pats to enter two addresses #267

Open MyfanwyNixon opened 9 years ago

MyfanwyNixon commented 9 years ago

Although I am currently overseas I remain registered to vote in the UK. When constructing the email to my MP, it would be useful if there was an expat option so I can list both the actual UK address I am registered with, and also my current postal address.

dracos commented 9 years ago

Seems pretty rare; easiest to add a bit to https://www.writetothem.com/about-constituency#expat saying "put your current address in the body of your message"?

MyfanwyNixon commented 7 years ago

I'm one of the five million or so UK citizens living in the rest of the EU. My address is in the Netherlands, but I vote for my UK MP based on my past address. In your form, I have to either enter my old address (meaning the response will go to my old house,of course), or enter some barbaric combination of my overseas address and UK postcode, with the country name written in some box for which it was not intended, and explain this mess in the letter.

This should be easy to fix, by allowing people to submit an address in another country, while keeping the UK postcode field as additional information for MP-seeking purposes. I hope you can consider this.

MyfanwyNixon commented 7 years ago

By coincidence, another email on the subject today:

I am currently living abroad and have sold my house in the UK, but I am still registered with my last constituency. I have written a letter to my MP using your site, but it automatically puts in the UK post code at the end of my (Belgian) address and I cannot edit it out.

jacksonj04 commented 7 years ago

Tangentially related are students, who may be resident at one address but still be registered to vote elsewhere (and who still have a vote in local authority elections).

Maybe a better 'catch all' solution would be a "I am currently living elsewhere (eg an expatriate or student" checkbox, which simply throws up a message saying along the lines of "that's cool, put your uk/home address here and mention you want a reply sent elsewhere in your message".

MyfanwyNixon commented 7 years ago

Third in a fortnight - I guess the current political scene is bringing a lot more expats to the site (in amongst a lot more of every type of user!):

I am a British citizen living overseas. I still have a vote in the UK since I have been overseas for less than 15 years. As such, I still get engaged in UK politics, icnluding writing to my MP. I have used your site for years to contact my MPs and I thank you very much for the service which supports this important democratic function. As an ex-pat, however, there is a feature that could make it much easier for people such as myself to use your service. If you could add an "ex-pat but still voter" button to the site which would then provide a double-address field: "current overseas contact address" and "previosuly registered voting address", that would make things much clearer for both constituents and their representatives.

Gemmamysoc commented 2 years ago

As an overseas voter, it's frustrating that I can't put in my real address to this website. I understand the need to put the last UK address I lived at, but it would be nice to have a feature where I can essentially enter both addresses, and the address comes up as, say:

NAME XXX-Str XX, 1011X Berlin Germany (formerly of AA XYZ St LONDON NWX ZZZ)

I did once (in the UK) receive an actual letter in the post from my MP responding to my letter to her, and I still would like representation in the UK (despite my not living there - especially in world affairs such as last night's Ukraine invasion - the reason for my most recent letter).

Do you think such a feature would be plausible? (eg. click on a button: "I am an overseas voter") and it comes up with the second address fields?