Answers for all the last-minute voting queries
Is voting compulsory? The Constitution stipulates that voting is compulsory. Voters who do not exercise their right to vote without a justifiable reason can be imprisoned for between one month and a year. Who is not obliged to vote? Persons who meet at least one of the following criteria are exempted: citizens over 70; voters who reside more than 200 kilometers away from their electorate; persons with serious health problems; and public servants, military and police officers on duty. With the exception of the aged, documents from police authorities are needed. When will polling stations be open and under what circumstances could voting hours be extended? Voting runs from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. Authorities on duty can extend voting hours by a maximum of two hours if they deem that voting has not ended. What are the prerequisites? Registration on electoral rolls is the only prerequisite. If, on election day, voters realize that they’re not registered on electoral rolls, can they vote? Voters who confirm their absence from electoral rolls should – during voting hours – obtain a registration certificate from their local municipality, or state registry. The certificate can be used to both vote at a municipality polling station of their choice, and register on extraordinary electoral rolls. What can voters do if they cannot vote at polling stations where details have been transferred? The inability to vote means that they have either not been registered on the electoral roll – in which case the aforementioned procedures apply – or that voting rights are located elsewhere. In the latter case, voters should consult the information centers that will be operating at all polling booths and find out where they can vote. Minibuses and cabs will be provided to cover transport needs. How does one vote now that the old electoral booklets have been scrapped? State ID cards now suffice. The old electoral booklets containing voter code numbers are no longer needed. Can one vote if one has lost his or her state ID card? A voter can vote without his or her state ID card by producing a passport, driver’s license, social security booklet, or professional ID card. Can one still vote should conflicting information be detected on the electoral roll and one’s state ID card? Authorities at polling stations may find discrepancies during identification procedures. If so, the voter must obtain an identity certificate from municipal or local authorities. Athenian voters should keep in mind that these can be granted at all seven wards. What are the voting procedures for municipal-local councils and prefectural councils? Envelopes are colored white for municipal and local elections and blue for prefectural elections. Ballot papers for municipal elections in the municipalities of Athens, Thessaloniki, Piraeus, and Patras will include candidates for each electoral ward separately. The ballot papers for the three super-prefectures (Athens-Piraeus), (Evros-Rhodope) and (Kavala-Drama-Xanthi) will include all candidates in alphabetical order, with indications of which prefecture they belong to next to their names. How many crosses can a voter mark? For the Athens, Piraeus, and Thessaloniki municipalities, voters can mark up to three crosses to elect the municipal council and three crosses for the council of their ward. In the Patras municipality, a maximum of two crosses is permitted for the municipal council, and two for the ward’s council. Moreover, voters in all the country’s other municipalities can mark up to two crosses. One cross is permitted for local councils. Up to four crosses are allowed for the three super-prefectures, the municipalities of eastern Attica, Thessaloniki, Achaia, Aitoloakarnania, Larissa, the Dodecanese, Evia, Iraklion, the Cyclades, and Serres. Up to three are permitted for the prefectures of Western Attica, Hania, Ilia, Ioannina, Kozani, Corinth, Messinia, and Fthiotida, and two for all remaining prefectures.
