vvk.ee Voting Rights : Estonian National Electoral Committee

Organisation : Estonian National Electoral Committee
Facility : Voting Rights
Country : Estonia

Voting Rights : http://vvk.ee/info-for-voters/
Home Page : http://vvk.ee/

Right to vote :
** The Constitution of the Republic of Estonia invests the supreme power of state in the people, who exercise it through citizens with the right to vote at the Riigikogu elections and referendums.
** In addition to this, local government council elections take place every four years and the European Parliament elections every five years.
** The right to vote consists of the right to cast a vote and the right to stand as candidate.
** An Estonian citizen has the right to vote at all elections as well as referendums.
** Citizens of other EU Member States have the right to vote at local government council elections and the European Parliament elections.
** A citizen of a non-EU Member State or a stateless person residing in Estonia may vote at the local government council elections if he/she resides in Estonia on the basis of a long-term residence permit or the right of permanent residence.
** He/she cannot stand as candidate to the council.
** A person must be of at least 18 years of age to vote.
** A person who has been divested of their active legal capacity with regard to the right to vote and a person who has been convicted of a crime and is serving sentence in a penal institution, cannot vote.
** In order to vote, a person must have been entered in the list of voters, which means that they must have the address of their residence entered in the population register.
** In order to stand as candidate, a person must be of at least 21 years of age for the purpose of the Riigikogu and the European Parliament elections, and of at least 18 years of age for the purpose of the local government council elections, and they must conform to the requirements of the right to cast a vote.
** A person in active service in the Defence Forces or a person who has been convicted of a criminal offence by a court and is serving a prison sentence may not stand as candidate.
** Legal acts prohibit certain officials from belonging to the parliament or a local government council during their term in office.
** This does not prevent them from standing as candidates; but, once elected, they must decide whether to continue in their current office or assume the tasks of a member of the parliament or a local government council.
** The European Parliament elections are carried out in all EU Member States simultaneously.
** A person may vote and stand as candidate at the European Parliament elections only in one country.
** In order to vote or stand as a candidate the citizens of other EU Member States residing in Estonia must first submit a one-time application to be entered in the polling list.

List of Voters and Voter’s Card :
** Voters are registered in the Estonian population register and the population register is taken as the basis for compiling the lists of voters.
** In order to be entered in the list of voters, the address details of the residence of a person must have been entered in the population register first.
** The voter will then be entered in the list of voters of his/her voting district.
** If the address of a person’s residence has not been entered in the register, they can submit a notice of residence to the population register.
** The form of notice of residence can be filled at siseministeerium.ee/35881/ or submitted through eesti.ee at eesti.ee/portaal/rrteenus.index.
** This procedure should also be followed when changing the address of residence, otherwise the voter will remain in the voting list of their former voting district.
** If a person is unable to define their residence precisely, they can specify only the name of the rural municipality or city (part of a rural municipality or city district).
** Every rural municipality or city has defined one voting district where such voters are entered in the list of voters.
** Before the elections, a voter will receive their voter’s card by mail to their registered address of residence.
** Voter’s card is for information purposes only, it is not necessary to bring it to the polling division.
** On the card there is information on the time of voting, the location of the polling place as well as the phone number of the elections helpline.
** Receipt of the voter card confirms that the voter has been entered on the polling list.
** If the voter has not received their voter card 15 days prior to the election day, they should contact the registrar of the rural municipality or city government (in Tallinn, district administration) of their residence.
** This can be done by telephone. Everyone can also check their address of residence in the population register at .eesti.ee.
** A voter’s card can be requested electronically through the citizen’s portal eesti.ee.
** The voter’s card is sent to the person’s @eesti.ee e-mail address (this is only a forwarding address and must be redirected at eesti.ee to an e-mail address used by the person).