Ministry of Defence announcement:

Service personnel and their families are being encouraged to register to vote in this year's upcoming elections.

If not, it's time to get registered before it's too late, and it's never been easier.

The Electoral Commission's AboutMyVote website has been revamped to help busy people to register quickly.

You fill in your postcode and when you download a form, the address to send it to is already there on the form.

UPDATE MARCH 2010:  A special voter registration form is being distributed for your exclusive use, if you are likely to be serving in Afghanistan at the time of the General Election, which could well be on 6th May. Details through your unit. BAFF Members and BAFF Military Supporters are welcome to consult us in case of difficulty.

The Electoral Commission - the independent elections watchdog - and the Ministry of Defence have launched a joint campaign to encourage service personnel to make sure they’re registered and able to vote in the next General Election. Information about registering to vote, including how to apply for a proxy or postal vote, and a downloadable registration form can be found at www.aboutmyvote.co.uk/armedforces.

From the libertarian blog Jess The Dog, Aug 2009:

Most would agree that those who risk their lives to defend democracy should be the first in line to participate in it. However, the Labour government takes the opposite view. There was wide-scale electoral disenfranchisement of the Armed Forces in the 2005 general election and only a high-profile campaign forced the government into limited action.

Once more, there is a real danger that soldiers on operations will be denied the vote once more….and it is difficult not to conclude that this is a deliberate omission on the part of Labour ministers who realise their appalling treatment of the Armed Forces over the past five years – despite their sacrifices – will win them few votes.