How to vote in Poland

The right to nominate candidates for Members of the European Parliament is vested in: the electoral committee of political parties, the coalition electoral committee, the electoral committee of voters. The electoral representative of the electoral committee of voters shall notify the National Electoral Commission of the establishment of the electoral committee of voters. This notification must be made by the 50th day before election day. The list of candidates in a given constituency is submitted to the relevant district electoral commission no later than the 40th day before election day. The number of candidates for Members of the European Parliament nominated on the list of candidates cannot be less than 5 and more than 10. List of candidates should be supported by the signatures of at least 10,000 voters permanently residing in a given constituency. Both Polish citizens and other EU residents may run. The full list of candidates will be available after the registration of electoral committees is completed on the National Electoral Commission website (in Polish).

The right to nominate candidates for Members of the European Parliament is granted to: the electoral committee of political parties, the coalition electoral committee, and the electoral committee of voters. The electoral committee of a political party is obliged to notify the National Electoral Commission of the establishment of the committee in the period from the date of announcement of the decision to call elections to the 50th day before election day. The list of candidates in a given constituency is submitted to the relevant district electoral commission no later than 40 days before election day. The list of candidates should be supported by the signatures of at least 10,000 voters permanently residing in a given constituency. The full list of candidates will be available after the registration of electoral committees is completed on the National Electoral Commission website (in Polish).

Political parties have to clear at least 5% of the votes in order to be elected to the Parliament.

In Poland there are 13 constituencies, which means that voters in each of these constituencies choose among different candidates, even if they are still put forward by the same national political parties. The constituencies are the following:

• No. 1: Pomeranian Voivodeship
• No. 2: Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship
• No. 3: Podlaskie Voivodeship and Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship
• No. 4: the part of Masovian Voivodeship (it includes Warsaw and 8 powiats: Grodzisk Mazowiecki, Legionowo, Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki, Otwock, Piaseczno, Pruszków, Warsaw West, Wołomin)
• No. 5: the part of Masovian Voivodeship (it includes of all those powiats of the Masovian Voivodeship which are not in the No. 4 Constituency)
• No. 6: Łódź Voivodeship
• No. 7: Greater Poland Voivodeship
• No. 8: Lublin Voivodeship
• No. 9: Podkarpackie Voivodeship
• No. 10: Lesser Poland Voivodeship and Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship
• No. 11: Silesian Voivodeship
• No. 12: Lower Silesian Voivodeship and Opole Voivodeship
• No. 13: Lubusz Voivodeship and West Pomeranian Voivodeship

No, there is no legal obligation to vote in the European elections in Poland.

In Poland, people who are 18 years old on the day of voting can vote.

Polish citizen voting in Poland
Voters in Poland vote in district electoral commissions at their place of permanent residence. You are entered into the electoral register based on your place of permanent residence. However, if your address has recently changed, you should check with the relevant municipal office whether you have been added to the voter register. On the basis of the voter register, a list of voters is prepared, i.e. a list of people who have the right to vote at a given district electoral commission. If you want to vote outside your place of residence, you have two options: you can download a certificate of voting rights - the application is submitted to the office of the commune where you are included in the voter roll no later than the third day before election day. You can submit your application in writing, by fax or electronically. With such a certificate, you can vote in any voting district in the country. You can also submit a written request to be added to the voter roll in the commune where you will be staying on election day. The application must be submitted to the municipal office no later than the 3rd day before election day.

EU citizen voting in Poland
Every EU citizen who fulfils certain conditions has the right to vote in European Parliament elections in all European Union countries. In Poland, non-Polish EU citizens permanently residing in the area of the commune are entered on the register of voters, part B. Non-Polish EU citizens must be registered in the register of voters at the municipality where they live. The regulations do not indicate the date by which the request for entry in the register of voters must be submitted. However, you have to take into account that the mayor has three days to process the application. Based on the register of voters, an electoral roll is created. EU citizens who are not Polish citizens (the same as Polish citizens) may vote at a chosen polling station provided that they submit a request in writing for entry on the electoral roll. The written request has to be made to the municipality no later than three days prior to the election.

Polish citizen voting from abroad
If you are on the electoral register and live in another EU country (the so-called host country), you can: vote for candidates standing for election in Poland or take part in elections in the host country and vote for candidates standing for election in that country. You can only vote once in European elections. A voter staying in another EU country, holding a valid Polish passport or identity card (or an EU citizen who is not a Polish citizen but holds a valid passport or other document confirming identity) may vote for candidates running in the elections in Poland if they entered in the register of electors drawn up by the territorially competent consul. The entry is made on the basis of a personal application submitted orally, in writing, by telephone, telegraph, telefax or in electronic form (in Polish). The application should contain: surname and first name(s), father's name, date of birth, PESEL identification number, indication of the voter's place of residence abroad, number of a valid Polish passport or identity card as well as the place and date of its issue (in the case of European Union citizens who are not Polish citizens - number of another valid identity document as well as the place and date of its issue), place of entry of the voter into the register of electors (in the case of Polish citizens temporarily residing abroad). The application can be made no later than on the third day before election day.
List of Polish posts abroad can be found on the website of Ministry of Foreign Affairs (in Polish).
For detailed information on how to take part in elections in the host country and how to vote for candidates running in that country, see the webpage of "Your Europe" regarding your right to vote.

Polish citizens residing abroad can vote if there is a district created in this sense. The condition is the existence of at least 15 voters in the area of the district and if it is possible to communicate the results of the vote to the competent electoral commission immediately after its completion. Information on the establishment of voting districts abroad is provided by the consuls at the latest on the 21st day before election day. A voter staying abroad, holding a valid Polish passport (or a non-Polish citizen of the European Union holding a valid passport or other identity document) may vote in elections to the European Parliament in Poland if they entered in the register of electors drawn up by the territorially competent consul. The entry is made on the basis of a personal application submitted orally, in writing, by telephone, telegraph, telefax or electronically (in Polish). The application should contain: surname and first name(s), father's name, date of birth, PESEL identification number, indication of the voter's place of residence abroad, number of a valid Polish passport, as well as the place and date of its issue (in the case of European Union citizens who are not Polish citizens - number of another valid identity document, as well as the place and date of its issue) the place of entry of the voter in the electoral register (in the case of Polish citizens temporarily residing abroad). The application can be made at the latest on the 3rd day before election day.

Polish citizen voting in Poland
If you intend to vote at the district electoral commission of your permanent residence, you do not have to register your intention to vote in the elections. If you want to be added to the roll of voters in a given commune, you must report to the office of the commune where you want to vote, you can also download a certificate of voting rights and take it to the electoral commission of your choice.

EU citizen voting in Poland
Non-Polish EU citizens must be registered in the register of voters at the municipality where they live. The regulations do not indicate the date by which the request for entry in the register of voters must be submitted. However, you have to take into account that the mayor has three days to process the application. Based on the register of voters, an electoral roll is created. EU citizens who are not Polish citizens (the same as Polish citizens) may vote at a chosen polling station provided that they submit a request in writing for entry on the electoral roll. The written request has to be made to the municipality no later than three days prior to the election.

Polish citizen voting from abroad
The entry into the register of electors is made on the basis of a personal application submitted orally, in writing, by telephone, telegraph, telefax or in electronic form (in Polish). The application should contain: surname and first name(s), father's name, date of birth, PESEL identification number, indication of the voter's place of residence abroad, number of a valid Polish passport or identity card as well as the place and date of its issue (in the case of European Union citizens who are not Polish citizens - number of another valid identity document as well as the place and date of its issue), place of entry of the voter into the register of electors (in the case of Polish citizens temporarily residing abroad).

Polish citizen voting in Poland
You do not need to register your intention to vote before the elections if you want to vote at your place of residence, because this is done automatically by the municipal office. You can check at the commune office at any time whether you are on a given voter register. You can check at the commune office whether you have been included in the voter roll, and if not, you can submit an application to be added no later than the 5th day before election day.

EU citizen voting in Poland
Non-Polish EU citizens must be registered in the register of voters at the municipality where they live. The regulations do not indicate the date by which the request for entry in the register of voters must be submitted. However, you have to take into account that the mayor has three days to process the application. Based on the register of voters, an electoral roll is created. EU citizens who are not Polish citizens (the same as Polish citizens) may vote at a chosen polling station provided that they submit a request in writing for entry on the electoral roll. The written request has to be made to the municipality no later than three days prior to the election.

Polish citizen voting from abroad
The application can be made no later than on the third day before election day.

Members of the electoral commission are required to check your identity, hence you have to bring your ID card or passport with you.

People with disabilities willing to vote in the European elections in Poland have two additional forms of voting: postal voting and proxy voting. A voter with disabilities has the right to obtain full information in their commune about the location of the nearest polling stations adapted to their needs. The polling station should be specially prepared for the needs of individuals with disabilities. Election announcements and results must be placed in locations easily accessible to individuals with reduced mobility. At the request of a voter with disabilities, a member of a polling station shall be obliged to pass the content of specific electoral announcements orally. In addition, a voter with disabilities may vote by using overlays for voting cards made in Braille.

You may find easy-to-read information about elections on the easy-to-read page of this webpage.

Postal voting is only available to voters with confirmed significant or moderate degrees of disability (this right applies only to people voting in permanent district electoral commissions in Poland). The voter's intention to vote by correspondence must be communicated to the electoral commissioner no later than the 15th day before election day. The notification may be made orally, in writing, by fax, or electronically. The application should include: surname and first name(s), father's name, date of birth, PESEL registration number of the voter with disabilities, a statement on the voter's entry in the register of voters in a given commune, designation of the elections to which the application relates, indication of the address to which the electoral package is to be sent. The application must be accompanied by a copy of the current decision of the competent authority determining the degree of disability. In the application, a voter with disabilities may request that a ballot overlay prepared in Braille be attached to the electoral package. A voter who has declared their intention to vote by correspondence receives an electoral package no later than 7 days before election day. After completing the ballot, the voter places it in the ballot envelope, seals it, and then puts the envelope in the return envelope, together with the signed declaration of voting in person and in secret received in the electoral package, and sends it to the appropriate district commission.

No, online voting in the European elections is not possible in Poland.

Voting by proxy is possible for voters with a confirmed severe or moderate disability and for voters who are 60 years of age or older on the voting day at the latest. A proxy may only be a person who is entered in the register of electors in the same municipality as the person granting the proxy to vote or who has a certificate of entitlement to vote. The power of attorney to vote is granted before the mayor (mayor, city president) or before another employee of the municipality office authorised by the mayor (mayor, city president) to draw up acts of proxy to vote. The instrument of proxy to vote is drawn up at the request of the voter submitted to the mayor (mayor, city president) of the municipality where the voter is entered in the register of electors, at the latest on the ninth day before election day. The application should contain: surname and forename(s), father's name, date of birth, PESEL registration number, address of residence of both the voter and the person to whom voting proxy is to be granted a clear designation of the election to which the voting proxy relates.