On the occasion of the activation of the electronic platform for postal voting in the upcoming European elections, the Ministry of the Interior issued detailed instructions for using the platform, as well as a useful guide with short questions and answers regarding the exercise of the right to vote, through postal voting, for both in-state and out-of-state voters.

The introduction of postal voting concerns all Greek citizens who are registered in the electoral rolls and wish to exercise their right to vote by postal vote, whether they live in Greece or abroad. There are no criteria that limit the possibility of exercising the electoral right of Greek citizens through postal voting.

See: Kerameos on SKAI: The postal voting platform is in operation from today

With the postal vote, the way of exercising the right to vote is modernized by ensuring the basic constitutional principles of immediacy, universality and secrecy of the vote. Greek citizens are given the opportunity to vote from their place of residence without requiring their physical presence at the polling station in which they are registered. Voters save time and money and the participation in the electoral process is facilitated for all Greek citizens and in particular for our elderly fellow citizens, seasonal workers, people with disabilities, and students during the examination period. In this way, Democracy is deepened.

  • Summary of the procedure for exercising the right to vote by mail
  • I register in the special electoral lists of postal voting through the electronic application of the Ministry of the Interior at the link epistoliki.ypes.gov.gr until April 29, 2024.
  • I am receiving the election materials at the address I have stated.

I vote and send my envelope to the pre-filled address. The files must reach the sorting centers by 17:00 on the eve of the European elections (8 June 2024).

What voters need to know about postal voting

  1. How and with what information can I register in the postal vote electoral rolls?
  2. The deadline for submitting applications to exercise the right to vote by mail in the upcoming European elections is April 29, 2024.
  3. Voters can log in to the epistoliki.ypes.gov.gr application using their personal TaxisNet codes and confirming their mobile phone and email with a one-time password (OTP). Voters from abroad can be identified alternatively by combining the details of their valid Greek passport and their police identity card or electoral roll number.
  4. Alternatively, applications may be submitted through the KEP or diplomatic authorities of Greece abroad.
  5. Voters state their residential address and the desired address for receiving the voting materials. It is noted that the envelopes for the postal vote will be sent by the Ministry of the Interior in May 2024.

Can I register if I don’t have a VAT number or a valid Greek passport?

Yes. All Greek citizens who are registered in the electoral rolls can exercise their right to vote by mail if they wish.

Voters who cannot connect to the electronic application by any of the available methods can contact the KEP or diplomatic authorities of Greece abroad, in order to be registered in the special electoral lists for postal voting. The officials, after identifying the voter by presenting a valid identification document, will submit a registration application on his behalf, which the voter then signs.

Can I register if I have difficulty using a computer?

Yes. Voters who have difficulties using a computer can contact the Citizen Service Centers or the Greek Embassies and Consulates, in order to be registered in the special electoral lists for postal voting.

What does the postal vote envelope contain and when will I receive it?

The file is sent to the voters by the Ministry of the Interior no later than 15 days before the elections, with the obligation to receive it either from the voter or from a third party who is expressly authorized to receive it, with a valid signature through gov.gr or from a public authority.

The voter is informed by e-mail about the sending of the file and with a link to follow its progress (tracking).

The folder includes:

postal vote return file,

ballot,

voting file,

instruction form,

candidate list,

application – responsible declaration.

Voting envelopes are completely anonymized and carry a special mark of authenticity.

How is the postal vote ballot?

The ballot is uniform and printed under the responsibility of the Ministry of the Interior.

On the first page, all the parties, combinations and coalitions of parties that are candidates are displayed and the voter ticks the one they choose. On this page there is also the distinct option “I do not choose any of the above – I vote white”.

On the second page, a table with numbers from 1 to 42 is displayed. The voter chooses from 0 to 4 MEP candidates of the party or combination of his preference by clearly marking the number corresponding to each candidate of his choice, as it appears in the list of candidates. At the end, the voter notes the total number of candidates he has chosen, i.e. 0 or 1 or 2 or 3 or 4.

In the event that the voter makes a wrong choice or the ballot is damaged, the voter has the option to print a single new ballot from the website of the Ministry of the Interior, fill it out again and put it in the voting envelope.

How do I vote?

The voter reads the instructions form carefully. He fills out the application – responsible declaration on paper or electronically via gov.gr and writes his details in the postal vote return envelope.

He chooses the combination he wants and the MEP candidates or votes blank.

He puts the ballot in the special voting envelope, closes it and puts it in the return envelope. In case he has completed the application – responsible declaration in paper, he puts it in the return envelope, together with the photocopy of Greek identity card, Greek passport or Greek driver’s license.

Sends the envelope to the pre-filled address of the postal vote sorting center.

Are there costs for the procedures of receiving and sending the envelopes?

No. The voter receives the postal vote envelope free of charge since the cost of sending the postal envelope is covered by the Ministry of the Interior. The mailing of the postal vote return envelope by the voter has been prepaid by the Ministry of the Interior.

What happens next after I vote and send the envelope?

The voter is informed by mobile phone message and email, if he has declared it, about the receipt of his file from the Electoral Departments for the Sorting of Postal Ballots.

The envelope must be received by 5pm on the eve of the election in order to count towards the voting result, otherwise it is returned to the sender.

The counting of postal votes takes place at the same time as all the other votes, on the afternoon of the Sunday of the elections.

Where are the files collected?

Postal vote return envelopes are sent to the pre-filled address. The venue can be a public or private building rented for this purpose (eg an exhibition space).

The area where the polls are located is guarded by the Greek Police, monitored and recorded by closed circuit television. The recording material is kept at the Court of First Instance of Athens.

Parties and coalitions of parties participating in the elections are entitled to appoint a regular and an alternate electoral representative to monitor the process.

I lost my voting envelope. What am I doing;

The voting envelope, together with the rest of the material, must be kept in a safe place. Unfortunately, it is not possible to resend an envelope, as each envelope is personal and the new printing will take time which will not allow the vote to be received in time.

What if I go to vote at my polling station while I’m registered to vote by mail?

If the voter has applied in time for a postal vote, there will be a special indication in the electoral rolls and the judicial representative will not allow him to vote if he tries to exercise his right to vote in person. However, if the envelope of the postal vote does not arrive in time, then the judicial representative in the electoral division where the voter is registered will have been informed of the fact of non-receipt of the envelope and will allow the voter to vote in person from 11:00 in the morning and after.

If I changed my mind and want to vote in person?

This can only be done if the file has not been received by the deadline (ie by 17:00 on the eve of the election). In this case, the judicial representative at the polling station where the voter is registered will be informed of the non-receipt of the file and will allow the voter to vote in person from 11:00 am onwards.

If I mistakenly chose a different party or candidate than the one I wanted?

In this exceptional case, the voter can print the ballot that will be on the website of the Ministry of the Interior and put it in the voting envelope.

How is the secrecy of the vote ensured?

The vote is secret. The secrecy of the postal vote is achieved by separating the declaration from the closed envelope that contains the ballot and which is the one that goes into the ballot box.

The paper application – responsible declaration is kept separately and cannot in any way be combined with the ballot. And the photocopy of the identity card is used exclusively so that there is no doubt that someone else did not vote on behalf of the voter.

The area where the polls are located is guarded by the Greek Police, monitored and recorded by closed circuit television. The recording material is kept at the Court of First Instance of Athens.