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Where and how to vote?
Primary method:
Voters in Greece have to vote in person at a specific polling station based on their home address. Voters may be informed about the polling station in which they have to vote by consulting the decision published by the respective Deputy Head of the Region at least 15 days after the start of the pre-election period, which is sent to the Municipalities within the Prefecture. Information about allocated polling stations is also published online on the website of the Ministry of the Interior (www.ypes.gr/ no information is currently available).
A draft law was introduced at the end of November 2023 that will allow voting by post (https://www.ypes.gr/i-kathierosi-tis-epistolikis-psifou-vathainei-ti-dimokratia/). If adopted, voters will be able to choose whether to exercise their right to vote by postal vote instead of attending their allocated polling station. This will require an application to be made on-line at least 40 days before election day. A dedicated electronic portal is being created for registration of postal voters.
Online voting is not possible. Voting by proxy is not possible.
- Nationals. In order to be identified, Greek voters have to present a form of identification, namely their ID card, a temporary certificate of the competent authority, their passport, their driving license or their personal health booklet issued by any insurance fund. Expired ID cards are also acceptable.
Mobile EU citizens. Mobile EU citizens can identify themselves by presenting a valid identity document (passport or national identity card).
Who can vote?
An individual must meet the following requirements to vote in EP elections in Greece:
- be a Greek national or a national of another EU Member State;
- be at least 17 years of age on the date of the election; and
- not be excluded from the right to vote.
Mobile EU citizens. EU citizens must be resident in Greece in order to vote there.
Registration requirements.
Nationals. Greek citizens residing in Greece are automatically registered to vote by the authorities. However, if they changed their home address recently, they should confirm whether their registration on the voting list is correct.
Greek citizens who reside in another EU Member State and Greeks who are temporarily in another Member State on election day are entitled to participate in the election process for Greeks abroad. It is compulsory to register in advance at the local Greek embassy or consulate by the specific deadline that is announced for this purpose. Voting abroad usually takes place one day earlier than election day in Greece.
Mobile EU citizens. EU citizens have to register in advance in order to be included in the special voters list that the Greek municipalities establish. To register on the special electoral rolls, EU citizens must present themselves to the municipal authority of their place of residence with a valid identity document (passport or ID card) and complete an application form. As part of the application, EU citizens have to submit a written declaration to confirm they will not vote in their home Member State.
Exclusions
Greek nationals who have been deprived of their voting rights and mobile EU citizens who have been deprived of their voting rights in Greece or in their home Member State cannot vote in EP elections in Greece. Under Greek law, persons may be excluded from the right to vote pursuant either to the provisions of the Hellenic Civil Code when they are deprived of their right to exercise their civil rights on their own or by court decision imposing a final criminal sentence when convicted of one of the crimes cited in the Penal and Military Penal Code.