Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login

> In the UK there’s no address registry where you declare your address

Can you vote in Glasgow's local elections if you live in Manchester?




It would be more accurate to say there is no single register of addresses.

The electoral register knows I’ve left the U.K.; I had to tell HMRC separately because they don’t share info; likewise the Student Loans Company even though there is a close connection between income and repayments [0]; and when I tried to tell the DVLA, they told me they lacked the capacity to know about non-UK addresses.

[0] the repayment rules means that, for low- and mid-income people, it behaves more like a graduate tax on worldwide income than a loan — it’s a percentage of pay over a threshold, and only high earners can pay it off fully — and if you do a self-assessment tax return there is a box for student loan stuff.


To vote, you need to register to vote, I voted at London Mayor elections in 2016. You vote wherever you register to vote, I don't remember the details but I guess it was me declaring that I live there and I would like to vote.

In UK there's this concept called proof of address and it's usually bill or a document that is sent to your address, there's no central registry of residents.


The point is, you don't need a register, central or otherwise, for the place of residence to be legally relevant. The way this kind of things work is that, should there be a legal challenge, you will provide a proof of residence to the court or whatever relevant body, just like you do when registering to vote.




Join us for AI Startup School this June 16-17 in San Francisco!

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: