How to vote in Estonia

The European elections will take place in Estonia on 3-9 June 2024.

Voters in Estonia will elect 7 Members of the European Parliament.

Under EU law, all countries shall use a voting system that ensures proportional representation, which means that the number of elected members from each party depends on the share of electoral votes obtained by the party. The Estonian election system uses open lists at the European Parliament elections. The candidates are re-ranked in the list of the political party according to the number of votes cast for each candidate. In the re-ranked list of the political party, the mandate is given to the candidate who is further towards the top of the list.

Registered political parties or independent candidates who wish to stand for the elections must submit the required documents at to the State Electoral office at least 50 days prior to election day. The National Electoral Committee registers candidates at the latest on the 40th day before the election day. You will find a complete list of all candidates on their website once the National Electoral Committee has registered the candidates. The nomination of candidates will begin on 10 April 2024 and end on 20 April 2024.

All political parties which are entered in the non-profit associations and foundations register on the last day for the nomination of candidates may participate in the European Parliament elections under their own name.

There are no threshold provisions. The mandates are divided nationally using the d’Hondt distribution method. As only 7 mandates are distributed, there is no need for a threshold. An independent candidate shall participate in the elections like a party list with one candidate.

Elections to the European Parliament are held in one national electoral constituency, which means people across the country choose from the same list of candidates.

In Estonia, there is no legal obligation to vote.

You are eligible to vote in the European elections in Estonia if you are:

1. at least 18 years old on election day;
2. an Estonian or an EU citizen residing in Estonia, or an Estonian citizen residing abroad. EU citizens living in Estonia can vote in Estonia if they have applied for it.

Estonian or EU citizen voting in Estonia
You have several different options for casting your vote. You can either do it in a polling station on election day, or vote in advance or vote online on the following dates:

• Advance voting: 3 - 8 June 2024
  
• Online voting: from 9.00 on 3 June 2024 to 20.00 on 8 June 2024
  
• Voting from home from 7 to 9 June
  

For more information, check out the website of the State Electoral Office.

Estonian citizen voting from abroad
If you are an Estonian citizen living permanently or temporarily abroad, you have three options: voting online, voting in person in an embassy or consulate or voting by mail. To vote by mail, you have to submit an application to the Estonian foreign mission.
For more information, check out this page of the website of the State Electoral Office.

Estonian citizen voting in Estonia
If you have an address of residence in Estonia, you don’t need to register in advance. This is done automatically by the authorities. However, if you have changed your home address recently, we advise you to check with the population register (in Estonian) whether your residential address entered in the population register is correct.
You can find more information about registering residence on the State Portal "eesti.ee".

EU citizen voting in Estonia
You have the right to vote in Estonia. If you haven’t voted in the European elections in Estonia before, you have to submit an application to be entered in the list of voters to the controller of the population register.
You will be notified of the need to submit an application at the end of March 2024.

Estonian voting from abroad
If you are an Estonian citizen living permanently or temporarily abroad, you don’t need to register in advance. This is done automatically by the authorities.
You have three options: voting online, voting in person in an embassy or consulate or voting by mail. To vote by mail, you have to submit an application to the Estonian foreign mission.
For more information, check out this page of the website of the State Electoral Office.

In order to receive a ballot paper, you have to present a valid ID to the voting district committee.

As voter with a disabilty, you have several alternatives.

• If you are visually impaired, the e-voting voter application is adapted to you.
  
• If you are unable to vote at a polling place due to your state of health or for another good reason, you may apply to vote at home.
  

Please note that most of the election sites are wheelchair accessible (step-free access), and that assisted voting is possible in nursing homes and hospitals.

You may find easy-to-read information about European elections on the page easy-to-read of this website and on the website of the State Electoral Office.

Voting by mail is only available if you reside permanently or temporarily in another country.

You can vote online for the European elections in Estonia.
Electronic voting opens on 3 June 2024 at 9.00 and lasts 24 hours a day until the close of e-voting on 8 June 2024 at 20.00.

You cannot vote by proxy in Estonia.