On questions affecting society at large, the government sometimes wishes to obtain the people's opinion or approval through a vote to modify a law, or even the constitution.

This process is called a referendum.

A postal voting system has been put in place in order to prevent abstention.

The request for a postal vote must be made to the commune in which the voter is registered.

Who is concerned

Luxembourg voters registered on the electoral rolls for the legislative elections can ask to vote by post during the referendum.

Prerequisites

In order to participate in a referendum, a Luxembourgish voter must be properly registered on the electoral rolls for legislative elections.

Luxembourg citizens residing abroad, who are entitled to vote due to their Luxembourg nationality, may participate in the vote by postal voting.

Deadlines

The request for postal voting must be sent to the board of the mayor and aldermen of the commune of registration:

• at the earliest 12 weeks and at the latest 25 days before election day, if the poll card is sent to an address in Luxembourg;
• at the earliest 12 weeks and at the latest 40 days before election day, if the poll card is sent abroad.

How to proceed

Application for postal voting

Voters who wish to vote by mail must inform the commune where they are registered and request their poll card.

The request can be made either:

• electronically via MyGuichet.lu; or
• by post: on plain paper or on a pre-printed form to be obtained from the voter's commune of residence.

Voters must provide their:

• surname and first name(s);
• date and place of birth;
• their address.
• the address to which the poll card has to be sent.

Voters must solemnly declare that they have not been stripped of the right to vote:

• they must possess full civil and political rights;
• they cannot:
  • have been convicted of a criminal offence;
  • have been stripped of the right to vote following a conviction for lesser offences;
  • be an adult under guardianship.

Upon receipt of the request, the commune checks if:

• the application contains the required information and documents;
  
• the applicant is registered on the electoral rolls;

Rejection of the application

If the applicant does not meet the conditions for postal voting (incomplete application or lack of registration on the electoral roll), the commune will inform them of the refusal:

• at the latest 20 days before the election, if the voter lives in Luxembourg;
• at the latest 35 days before the election, if the voter lives abroad;

Obtaining the poll card for the referendum

If the request for postal voting is accepted, the commune will send the poll card by registered mail to the voter.

The poll card is sent, at the latest:

• 15 days before the election, if the voter lives in Luxembourg;
• 30 days before the election, if the voter resides abroad.

The poll card contains the following information:

• the list of questions;
• the instructions for postal voting in a referendum;
• a non-transparent, standard-type, duly stamped electoral envelope;
• a ballot form, duly stamped;
• an envelope, for the transmission of the electoral envelope which must bear the indication "Référendum - Vote par correspondance", the indication of the polling station on the lower right corner of the envelope and the reference number, name, first name (s) and address of the voter.

An alphabetical list of voters having applied for a postal vote will be prepared, including the surname(s), first name(s), date and place of birth, domicile and current address of each voter. The response given to each request is noted opposite the applicant's name. Voters appearing on this list may not choose another voting method.

Filling out and returning the ballot

Each voter has one vote per question asked.

Voters must fill out the ballot in the following manner:

• either by filling in one of the 2 boxes on the ballot next to each question;
• or by marking a cross (+ or x) in one of the two boxes next to each question.

Each filled box, even if only in part, or marked with a cross, even imperfectly, is deemed a valid vote, unless it becomes obvious that it is the voter's intent to become recognisable with the ballot paper.

Voters may express their votes using a pencil, a ballpoint pen or similar writing implement.

The following ballots will be deemed null and void:

• ballots other than those provided by the commune; or
• those expressing more than one vote per question asked; or
• those whose shape and dimensions have been altered; or
• those containing any piece of paper or other foreign object; or
• those whose authors may be rendered recognisable by a sign, a deletion or a mark not authorised by law.

Ballots containing no votes are considered blank.

However, ballots that express fewer votes than there are questions are valid. In other words, voters are not required to answer every question asked.

The visually impaired voter can use the tactile voting model to express their vote.

To send the ballot to the polling station, voters must place the folded ballot paper, 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 containing the ballot must be received by the appropriate polling station on polling day before 14.00 at the latest.

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