The distribution of special envelopes to those registered for postal voting in the upcoming European elections in June is currently underway, with voters required to personally collect and sign for their envelopes, which will not be delivered directly to their mailboxes.

By midweek, the distribution process is expected to be completed, with all envelopes dispatched to voters.

Many voters, including those in Australia, have already received informative emails, with some expecting to receive their envelopes within days and others later this week.

More than 200,000 Greeks worldwide have opted to exercise their voting rights through postal voting in the June 9 European elections, as reported by the Ministry of Interior’s platform, epistoliki.ypes.gov.gr.

The registration phase closed at midnight on Holy Monday, with a total of 202,556 registered voters.

Within 70 days of its launch, the platform received 153,322 registration applications from residents and 49,234 from Greeks abroad.

Voters participating in postal voting hail from 128 different countries.

The highest number of registrations came from Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Cyprus.

Interest from Australia and New Zealand was relatively low, with only 835 voters indicating their intention to vote by post.

Written in Greek, voters receive a declaration form, ballot paper and a booklet that includes information on the EU elections, candidate names, how to vote and how to return the ballot paper. Photo: Dora Houpis

Who is eligible for postal voting

Postal voting is available to all Greeks registered in the electoral rolls, whether they live in Greece or abroad and who registered by the April 29 deadline.

Through a simple and secure process, everyone can now vote remotely by postal ballot, without the need for physical presence at a polling station.

In the upcoming European elections, Greek citizens who wish to vote from abroad will be able to do so exclusively by postal vote.

There will be no polling stations abroad, as was the case in the recent parliamentary elections.

Within Greece, voters can choose to exercise their voting rights either by postal vote or by physically attending their polling station.

What the electoral envelope includes

The electoral envelope contains the return envelope for postal voting, the voting envelope, the ballot paper, an instruction leaflet, a list of candidates, and a declaration form.

The envelopes have an external relief feature to prevent counterfeiting.

What the ballot paper looks like

The ballot paper is different from what voters are used to.

On the front, it will list all the parties participating in the elections, and voters will mark their choice by placing a cross in the box next to the name and emblem of the party.

The candidates for members of the European parliament are selected on the back, where there is a large square containing 42 numbered squares (from 1 to 42) corresponding to all the candidates of each party.

Voters also receive a pre-paid return envelope in which to put the completed ballot paper in and a free DHL Express courier to pick up the envelope. Photo: Dora Houpis

Instead of a cross, the voter circles the number corresponding to each candidate they wish to vote for.

The number corresponding to each candidate will be indicated in the instruction leaflet.

How to vote – Step by step procedure

To ensure that the vote is counted, the voter must complete the declaration form.

Voters must also fill in the required fields, declaring that they are registered in the special electoral rolls for postal voting and cannot vote in person, and that the completion of the ballot paper and the selection of candidates were done exclusively by themselves without the presence of another person.

The voter is then instructed to carefully reads the instruction leaflet.

They must complete the declaration form either on paper or electronically via gov.gr and write their details on the postal voting return envelope.

Then they choose the combination they desire and either vote for the MEP candidates or vote blank.

The voter then places the ballot paper in the special voting envelope, seals it, and places it in the return envelope.

If they have completed the declaration form on paper, they include it in the return envelope along with a photocopy of their Greek ID card, Greek passport, or Greek driving license.

After completing the process, they must place the ballot paper in the special voting envelope, seal it, place the voting envelope, the declaration form, and the ID proof inside the return envelope, and send it, free of charge, by mail or through a cooperating courier company.