Some Poles Abroad Had Trouble Voting

One of our readers described the issue of voting abroad. Paweł from Wrocław was planning to stay in Berlin during the presidential election. He wanted to take part, so he contacted the city office in Wrocław, where he is registered, to obtain a document that would allow him to vote elsewhere. The official told him that he would be able to vote “anywhere, at any polling station”.

A few days before the election, the reader realised that in Germany he would not be able to go to the embassy—in that country, voting is possible only by post. When he called the Wrocław office, he again heard at the beginning of the conversation that he could vote anywhere. However, when he asked whether that definitely also applied to Berlin, the official replied: “Ah, yes, well, in Germany it doesn’t.” Mr Paweł received no help at the Polish embassy because nobody answered the phone there. As a result, he was unable to vote on Sunday.

On Monday, Paweł wanted to add himself to the register of voters abroad so that he could at least vote by post in the second round. He managed to contact officials at the embassy. Unfortunately, it turned out that he could no longer be added to the register because he had a document authorising him to vote “at any polling station” and therefore could not be added to the register to vote by post, so that he would not cast his vote twice. He was advised to travel from Berlin to the nearest city in Poland and take part in the election there.

“Apparently, not all situations were anticipated. In my opinion, I was deprived of my right to vote. I think I will stop getting involved,” Pawełsadly concludes.

Have you or your friends also encountered such difficulties when voting?

Voting abroad: How do you add yourself to the electoral register?

Voters outside Poland can vote in person or by post. In some countries, only the latter form of voting is available. There is only one day to add yourself to the electoral register is only one day.

According to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs:

If you were not included in the electoral register by the consul before the first round, but want to vote by post from abroad in the second round, you can add yourself to the register until 29 June 2020 at 24:00.

An application can be submitted using the electronic voter registration system, eWybory.