Applying to vote by post in legislative elections
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Summary:
All voters can apply to vote by post in legislative elections.
Every 5 years, all Luxembourg nationals on the electoral rolls elect the 60 members of the Chamber of Deputies (Chambre des députés) by direct universal suffrage. The Chamber of Deputies is the national Parliament in the Luxembourg unicameral system.
In principle, legislative elections take place on the same day and the same month as the previous legislative elections.
If that day is not a Sunday, the elections are moved to the Sunday preceding the day in question.
The legislative elections are for Luxembourg nationals only. Voting is mandatory for all registered voters. You cannot be represented by another person.
A postal voting system has been put in place in order to prevent abstention.
Who is concerned
If you are on the electoral roll, you can apply for postal voting in the elections.
Postal voting is also available to Luxembourg nationals living abroad and who are not registered on the electoral roll, but who are entitled to vote by virtue of their Luxembourg nationality.
Prerequisites
You must first be registered on the electoral rolls.
Deadlines
Your application for postal voting must be sent to the commune where you are registered:
- if you would like the polling card to be sent to you in Luxembourg: no earlier than 12 weeks and no later than 25 days before polling day. For the election on 8 October 2023, the application must therefore reach the College of Mayor and Aldermen no earlier than Monday 17 July 2023 and no later than Wednesday 13 September 2023;
- if you would like the polling card to be sent to you abroad: no earlier than 12 weeks and no later than 40 days before polling day. For the election on 8 October 2023, the application must therefore reach the College of Mayor and Aldermen no earlier than Monday 17 July and no later than Wednesday 29 August 2023.
How to proceed
Application for postal voting
If you wish to vote by post, you must inform your commune of registration and request your polling card.
The request for the polling card can be made:
- electronically via MyGuichet.lu (see 'Online Services and forms'); or
- by post, on plain paper or using a pre-printed form which can be obtained from the communal administration where the voter is registered.
In this letter, you must:
- state your surname, given name(s), date and place of birth, domicile and the address to which the polling card should be sent;
- solemnly declare that you have not been stripped of your right to vote; and
- if you live abroad, provide a copy of your valid passport or Luxembourg identity card.
Upon receipt of the request, the commune checks if:
- it contains the requested information and documents;
- you are registered on the electoral roll.
Rejection of the application
If you do not meet the conditions for postal voting, the communal administration will notify you of its refusal:
- at the latest 20 days before the election, if you live in Luxembourg;
- at the latest 35 days before the election, if you live abroad.
Sending the polling card
If the application for postal voting is accepted, the commune will send you your polling card by registered mail.
The polling card is sent, at the latest:
- 15 days before the election, if you live in Luxembourg;
- 30 days before the election, if you live abroad.
The polling card contains the following information:
- the list of candidates;
- instructions for voting by postal vote in a legislative election;
- a non-transparent, standard-type, duly stamped envelope;
- duly stamped voting papers;
- an envelope, for the delivery of the electoral envelope, bearing the words 'Élections - Vote par correspondance', the name of the polling station to which the vote is to be sent in the bottom right-hand corner and the reference number, surname, first name(s) and address of the voter.
Each commune draws up an alphabetical list of voters who have applied to vote by post, and indicate the surname, first name(s), date and place of birth, place of residence and current address of the voter. Admission to the vote is stated next to the applicant's name. Voters appearing on this list can no longer choose another voting method.
Sending the ballot paper
As a voter, you fill in your ballot paper.
If you are visually impaired, you can use the tactile voting form to cast your vote.
To send the ballot to the polling station, you must place the ballot paper, duly completed and folded, with the stamp showing on the outside, in the electoral envelope. The electoral envelope must be placed inside the postal envelope and sent by ordinary post. The envelope must be received by the polling station on the day of the election before 14.00 at the latest.
The envelopes containing the ballot are kept by the postal services of the receiving polling station until election day.
Who to contact
Related procedures and links
Procedures
Links
Further information
-
Élections.public.lu
Official elections website of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
-
Home country elections
on Your Europe
-
Municipality directory
on the SYVICOL site
Legal references
Version consolidée applicable au 3 juillet 2023