According to the introductory report, the purpose of the bill is to modernize the way MEPs are elected, but also to further facilitate the participation of people with disabilities in the electoral process.
The draft law “Election of MEPs, facilitation of voters through postal voting, clearing of electoral rolls and other provisions of the Ministry of the Interior” was submitted to the Parliament.
The purpose of the draft law, as noted in the introductory report, is a) to modernize the method of electing MEPs, including through the introduction of the possibility of exercising the right to vote by letter for the election of the country’s MEPs (a regulation that is about to apply and for the holding of referenda), b) the further facilitation of the participation of persons with disabilities in the electoral process.
It is also reported that the introduction of postal voting can be a strong incentive to increase participation, especially for special categories of voters.
For the design of the postal voting methodology, cases of its application throughout Europe, the USA and Australia were extensively studied. Considerable weight was given to full and strict compliance with the directives of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
The draft law establishes the creation of an electronic application for the submission of applications by voters for the possibility of exercising their right to vote by mail. No restriction is imposed, other than the registration of the voter in the electoral rolls. Also, no geographical restriction is imposed and it is not required to invoke any reason for choosing the postal vote.
Applications may be submitted to the online application up to forty (40) days prior to the election. The voter enters the application with his personal codes-credentials of the G.G.P.S.P.S.D. (taxisnet/AADE) and the application is confirmed using a one-time password on a mobile phone and e-mail (One Time Password, OTP), for security reasons.
Political parties or candidates are not involved in the process, either in sending or receiving the files. Severe penalties are provided for anyone who distributes a voting file or opens it without the provisions of the law.
Special mention is made of the fact that the voter submits a responsible declaration, with which he confirms that he filled out the ballot paper himself and that he expresses his personal will only.
The draft law stipulates that the dossiers must have arrived in the hands of the Postal Ballot Collection Committee by 17:00 on the eve of the election day.
To ensure the process and in particular the authenticity of the expression of the popular will and the secrecy of the vote:
1. Voters’ applications are made in a special electronic application with the voter’s credentials, while a one-time code is used using a mobile phone and email (Article 8).
2. It is possible to submit the application at consulates and citizen service centers, also using the “my kep live” service. (par. 3 of article 8).
3. The voter who has declared that he wishes to exercise his electoral right by postal vote cannot vote in person, except under specific conditions in the event that he did not send the return envelope or the envelope was not received in time, so as to prevent the possibility of double voting (par. 6 of article 21).
4. The Postal Vote Collection Committees and the Postal Vote Sorting Electoral Committees are chaired by a judge and their members are lawyers. Correspondingly, electors cannot be appointed as members of electoral committees in Electoral Committees for the Selection of Postal Votes (articles 15, 16).
5. The special ballot boxes for the safekeeping of envelopes for the return of postal votes are sealed daily with a special procedure and there is continuous recording on closed circuit television of the places where they are located. The electoral material is kept at the Court of First Instance of Athens for three years. The Hellenic Police undertakes the guarding of the area (par. 4 and 5 of article 10).
6. A General Registrar, Vice-President or member of the Supreme Court is appointed, who supervises the procedure (Article 18).
7. The voter monitors the progress of the file with a tracking system, as soon as it is sent by the Ministry of the Interior. (par. 4 of article 11).
8. The postal and courier service companies also operate on the eve of the election day, so that the postal votes arrive in time (par. 2 of article 14).
9. Special care is taken in cases of replacement of the voter’s application and the ballot without jeopardizing the secrecy of the vote (Article 12).
10. The voting envelopes where the ballot is located are anonymous and cannot be identified with the voter (Article 12).
The bill also begins the process of clearing the electoral rolls, using the available registers of the Greek State. Arrangements are also introduced to facilitate the exercise of voting rights by persons with disabilities.
Source: Skai
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