Postal voting: The process and deadlines – 2024-05-12 11:41:21

Postal ballot envelopes have begun to be sent to over 200,000 registered voters, following the recent completion of the registration of those interested in voting this way in the upcoming European elections.

In the last few days, an email, sms or viber message has started to be sent to the voters that the shipment of their envelope has started and that they have the possibility via a link to follow the progress of the shipment until it arrives at their door, just like what happens every day with parcel distribution or food. Some of them have already received the special file.

As stated in the enclosed instructions of the Ministry of Interior, the receipt of the material is done only by the registrant himself or by a person authorized for this purpose. For the authorization, a genuine signature visa is required from a public authority or via the “gov.gr” electronic portal. The verification of the recipient’s identity is carried out by the distributors of the sponsoring companies that distribute the postal voting materials. In the event that information is not verified, the contractor will be subject to a fine of 10,000 euros for each file for which the omission was found.

The distribution of the envelopes to the 153,3222 registered within Greek territory has been undertaken by ELTA and a private courier company. For the 49,234 registered Greek voters residing in a total of 127 countries abroad, the relevant process is handled through corresponding local companies.

What’s in the folder?

The envelope that the 202,556 voters will receive contains:

1. An instruction sheet, which includes the lists of MEP candidates of all parties.
2. The ballot paper, which is uniform and includes all the parties participating in the elections and a special space for the voters to choose the candidates of each combination.
3. The voting envelope, in which the ballot should be placed
4. The application – responsible declaration of postal voting which can also be submitted digitally through the epistoliki.ypes.gov.gr platform and
5. The postal vote return envelope, which should be sent in time to the postal vote collection area.

The return of the envelope with the ballot paper is free of charge for voters within the Greek territory, who either contact the company (the contact details are listed in the original message) and arrange a day and time for delivery to their place by an employee, or deliver it in person to one of the company’s stores.

Residents abroad, if they wish to send the envelope free of charge, must contact the same company that delivered it to them. Alternatively, they choose another shipping method but at their own expense, which will be refunded to the voter at a fixed rate.

The deadlines

The postal votes, in order to be counted, must reach their destination (place of collection of postal votes), on the eve of the elections, specifically by Saturday, June 8, 2024, at 17:00 Greek time. To be within the deadline, voters should mail the ballot envelope four to 11 days in advance, depending on the case.

For those residing in Greece, the deadline for sending is Monday, June 3 if the envelope is received by an employee of the postal company, and Tuesday, June 4 if the envelope is deposited directly at the company’s offices. For those living abroad, the envelope must be sent no later than Tuesday, May 28. The Ministry of the Interior recommends that the file be sent registered and express.

If the envelope does not arrive in time at the postal vote collection site, it is returned to the sender unopened. In this case, participation in the elections is done only by attending the polling station.

Those who lose the ballot or the application – responsible declaration can print them through the postal voting platform epistoliki.ypes.gov.gr, by selecting “Policy Voting Instructions” and then “Policy Voting Files”. People with disabilities can visit the website specially designed for them epistoliki.ypes.gov.gr/myvote, where they can fill in and print their ballot in an easy and simple way.

Source: RES-MPE