Many Americans live in the UK – but few vote back home. This year, that must change | Kathryn Sikkink
The UK hosts the second-largest population of voting-age US citizens, yet only 3.8% participated in the 2022 midterm elections. An opinion piece urges these residents to vote in the upcoming 2026 midterms, noting that the process is protected by federal law and manageable with proper planning. The author clarifies that voting for federal offices does not create additional tax obligations for US citizens living abroad.
- ▪The Federal Voting Assistance Program estimated that 298,268 voting-age US citizens lived in the UK in 2022.
- ▪Only 3.8% of eligible US citizens in Britain voted in the 2022 midterm elections.
- ▪The US Supreme Court recently rejected the Trump administration's efforts to limit mail-in voting for overseas Americans.
- ▪Voting for federal candidates does not expose US overseas voters to additional federal tax obligations.
- ▪The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act requires states to allow eligible overseas citizens to register and vote absentee.
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| Original publisher | The Guardian — US |
| Canonical URL | https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/sep/22/americans-in-uk-vote |
| Publication time | Tue, 22 Sep 2026 08:00:39 GMT |
| Retrieval time | 2026-09-22T08:13:49.857Z |
| Last seen | 2026-09-22T08:13:49.857Z |
| Headline source | Publisher (no WeSearch rewrite) |
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‘The UK hosts the second largest population of voting-age US citizens outside the United States.’ Photograph: Alberto Pezzali/APView image in fullscreen‘The UK hosts the second largest population of voting-age US citizens outside the United States.’ Photograph: Alberto Pezzali/APOpinionUS midterm elections 2026Many Americans live in the UK – but few vote back home. This year, that must changeKathryn SikkinkThe rights of overseas voters are protected by US federal law. It’s not hard – but Americans should start planning nowTue 22 Sep 2026 04.00 EDTShareThe UK hosts the second largest population of voting-age US citizens outside the United States, but Americans living in the UK vote at very low levels in US elections.The US government’s Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) estimated…
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