The option for early mobile voting on Sunday registered an increase of more than 20% compared to the last legislative elections, with 252,209 voters registered for this type of voting in the European elections on June 9.
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MAI), 252,209 voters who have registered in advance and chosen the municipality in which they will be able to exercise their right will be able to vote on Sunday.
In the March 10 legislative elections, 208,077 voters registered in advance to vote, fewer than the 285,848 voters who chose the same method in the 2022 legislative elections, which were still held amid the pandemic.
The early voting method, created with the entry into force of Organic Law No. 3/218 on the occasion of the elections of Portuguese Members of the European Parliament in 2019, has always shown an increase, with the exception of the decrease observed last time. legislative elections compared to the 2022 elections.
Five years ago, in the 2019 European elections, 13,455 voters cast their ballots via mobility, and this number increased to 50,638 in the legislative elections that year and to 197,903 in the 2021 presidential elections, held during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Registered voters in Portugal had until Thursday to register to vote in advance by mobility, a week before European elections scheduled for June 9.
In this case, voters register at the polling station of their choice in the municipality on the mainland or in the autonomous regions of the Azores and Madeira, electronically on the website www.votoantecipado.mai.gov.pt or by mail sent to the Secretariat – General Ministry of the Interior.
If a voter has signed up to vote mobile, but is unable to exercise this right on the appointed day, June 2, he will be able to vote on the day of the European elections anywhere in the country.
President of the Republic Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and Prime Minister Luis Montenegro have already announced they will vote in advance on Sunday, a week before elections in which 10.8 million registered voters will choose 21 of the 720 MEPs. .
In Portugal, 17 parties and coalitions are competing in the European elections: AD, PS, Chega, IL, BE, CDU, Livre, PAN, ADN, MAS, Ergue-te, Nova Direita, Volt Portugal, RIR, Nós Cidadaos, MPT. and PTP.
Portugal recorded its worst abstinence rate at the 2019 European Championships (68.6%) since joining the European Union, in contrast to European participation at around 50%.
To try to reverse this trend – in addition to early voting for the sick, prisoners and those abroad, or early voting on Sunday, June 2 – there is a new modality this year, only possible because there are “dematerialized voter lists” . .
On June 9, Portuguese voters will be able to vote anywhere in the country, as well as the day before if they are abroad.
Citizens do not need to inform in advance or register to vote outside their regular polling place, meaning they only need to show up at the polling station.
If a voter is registered to vote in advance but is unable to exercise that right on the designated day, June 2, they will be able to vote on Election Day, June 9.
Before the 2019 European elections, the option of early voting was provided to voters living abroad, hospitalized or serving a prison sentence.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Sandra Hansen, a news website Author and Reporter for 24 News Reporters. I have over 7 years of experience in the journalism field, with an extensive background in politics and political science. My passion is to tell stories that are important to people around the globe and to engage readers with compelling content.