POSTAL VOTING FOR ITALIAN CITIZENS RESIDENT ABROAD
The Italian Parliamentary elections will be held in 2018, and citizens who are resident abroad will be able to vote. Italian citizens can elect representatives to the Chamber of Deputies and Senate of the Republic by voting for candidates who put themselves forward for the Overseas Constituency.
VOTING is a RIGHT protected by the Italian Constitution, and in accordance with Law no. 459 of 27 December, 2001, Italian citizens who live abroad and are registered on the electoral rolls of the overseas constituency can VOTE BY POST. Please check with your consulate to ensure that your personal data and address are up-to-date.
OR YOU CAN DECIDE TO VOTE IN ITALY IN YOUR OWN MUNICIPALITY, giving written notice of your choice (OPTION) to the Consulate within the legally required deadline. Voters who choose to vote in Italy at the political elections will receive the voting notification card from their respective municipalities – at the polling stations in Italy – for candidates in the national constituencies and not for the Overseas Constituency.
The choice (option) to vote in Italy is only valid for one election.
Anyone who wishes to vote in Italy will have to write to their Consulate BY 31 DECEMBER of the year before the year scheduled for the natural expiry of parliament (March 2018), therefore by 31 December, 2017.
If there should be an early dissolution of the Chambers, the option may be sent or delivered by hand by the 10th day after the elections are called.
In any case, the option MUST ARRIVE at the Consular Office NO LATER THAN TEN DAYS AFTER THE DATE THE ELECTIONS ARE CALLED. This notice must be written on unstamped paper and – in order to be valid – must contain the name, surname, date, place of birth, place of residence and signature of the voter. The applicable form can also be used to give this notice, and is available at the Consulate, Advice Centres, Associations, COMITES (Committee of Italians abroad), or can be downloaded from the website of the Foreign Ministry (www.esteri.it) or your consulate’s website.
If the statement is not delivered in person, it must be accompanied by a copy of the identity document of the declarant.
As provided by law, voters will be responsible for ensuring that notification of the option sent by post was received in enough time by their Consular office.
The choice to vote in Italy may be subsequently WITHDRAWN by written notification sent or delivered to the Consular office using the same procedures and within the same timeframes for exercise of the option.
If you choose to return to Italy to vote, the law does NOT provide for any type of reimbursement for the costs of travel incurred, but only for certain subsidies in the Italian territory. Only voters who reside in countries that do not meet the conditions for postal voting (Law 459/2001, article 20, paragraph 1-bis) will have the right to reimbursement of 75% of the cost of travel by economy class.
THE CONSULAR OFFICE IS AVAILABLE FOR ANY FURTHER CLARIFICATION.
