FEDERAL PUBLIC SERVICE DOMESTIC AFFAIRS EUROPEAN CITIZENS VOTE FOR THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT. ON THE 13th JUNE 2004 (+ LOGO INTERIEUR)

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1 VERSION : 18 NOVEMBRE 2003 (page 1) DRAFT FOLDER 2004 EU CITIZENS - ENGLISH FEDERAL PUBLIC SERVICE DOMESTIC AFFAIRS EUROPEAN CITIZENS VOTE FOR THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ON THE 13th JUNE 2004 (+ LOGO INTERIEUR) 1

2 (page 2) EUROPEAN ELECTIONS On Sunday the 13th of June 2004, the 732 members of the European Parliament will be elected in the 25 Member States of the European Union. Non-Belgians living in Belgium under the nationality of a present or future Member State of the European Union and having the nationality of one of the countries mentioned hereinafter may take part in the election of the European Parliament in Belgium and may vote for candidates on Belgian lists. Requests for inscription on the electoral list must be handed in by latest March the 31 st NEED MORE INFORMATION? Would you like more information on the European elections or about electronic voting? Don t hesitate to contact your municipal council s elections desk. You can also visit the Federal Public Service Domestic Affairs web site: Federal Public Service Domestic Affairs Elections and Population Management Boulevard Pachéco 19 boîte BRUSSELS Pop-bev@rrn.fgov.be 2

3 (page 3) WHO S ENTITELED TO VOTE ON THE 13 th OF JUNE 2004? To take part in this election as a European citizen four conditions need to be fulfilled: 1 Have the nationality of a present or future Member State of the European Union 2 Own a main residence in a Belgian municipality 3 Aged 18 at least 4 To be inscribed on the electoral list. 1. Nationality In order to vote you need to have the nationality of one of the following 24 countries: Germany, Austria, Cyprus, Denmark, Spain, Estonia, Finland, France, grece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, The Czech Republic, The United-Kingdom, Slovakia, Slovenia or Sweden. Individuals having a Belgian nationality other than one of the 24 nationalities above are considered as Belgians, thus take part in all Belgian elections. On the 13 th of June 2004 Belgians will also elect their representatives inside Community and Region Councils. Citizens of present or future Member States of the Union may not take part in this election. 2. Residence You must be inscribed in the population s register or in the aliens register of your dwelling municipality in Belgium. This condition must be fulfilled by latest April the 1 st European officials and their families are generally not inscribed in the population s register. For these individuals and their families all they need to do is place in their application at the population s register of the Belgian municipality where their main residence is. 3

4 (page 4) 3. Age and non exclusion or suspension of the electoral rights In order to vote you then need to have reached the age of 18 by June the 13 th 2004, day of the poll, and cannot be in a position where you have been excluded from the right to vote or have had the right to vote suspended from you as authorized by Belgian law. Furthermore you cannot have had your right to vote lapsed by your Home State following an individual decision in civil or criminal matters. Individuals having reached the age of 18 by latest June the 13 th may also be inscribed as electors. 4. Electoral list You lastly need to be inscribed on the electoral list of the municipality. In order to do so you will fill in a request of inscription on the list (C/1 form). You can get one of these at your main residence s municipal council. It is suitable that you drop in the filled in form to the council-house by latest March the 31 st 2004 In exchange you will receive an acknowledgment of receipt. The municipal council will then analyse your request on basis of what you will have written on the form in question. If you are certified by the municipal executives to vote you will receive an official notification from the municipality. You must vote in the Belgian municipality which has inscribed you. Warning: from now on you won t be able to take part in the European elections from your home state. Maybe you already have made a request of inscription on the electoral list in the past (for the European elections of 1999 for example). If at that time you were certified to vote there is no need for you to make a new request. (That is if you still fulfil the other electorate conditions) Voting is compulsory in Belgium. As a result, as soon as your inscription on the electoral list is certified you will be legally held to show up at the ballots on June the 13th

5 (page 5) REFUSED REGISTRATION The municipal executives may decide not to register you as an elector and thus not inscribing you on the electoral list. You will be notified of this decision officially by post. The municipal council may refuse to inscribe you on the electoral list for one of the following reasons: You don t have the correct nationality or haven t reached de correct age You have had the right to vote lapsed in your Home State You have been sentenced to a liquidated criminal conviction in Belgium or your Home State You have been declared to be «in a state of judicial prohibition» by a judge. If you don t agree with this decision you have the possibility to lodge an appeal. You can get information about this procedure at your municipal council. HOW TO ISSUE A VALID VOTE? In order to be valid your votes need, for every election, to be issued within one list only. You can proceed in 4 different ways to do so: By voting in the box located at the list s head ( list vote) By voting in the box located next to the name of one or several titular candidates ( nominative vote) By voting in the box located next to the name of one or several alternates ( nominative vote) By voting in the box located next to the name of one or several titular candidates and next to the name of one or several alternates (nominative vote). If you issue both a list vote and one or several nominative votes at the same time within that list, the list vote will be ignored. If you issue votes (whether list or nominative) on different lists, your vote will be considered as void. Briefing summary: If you vote in which ever way you do so- within the same list, you will always issue a valid vote. 5

6 (page 6) ELECTRONIC VOTING On the 13 th of June 2004 over 200 communes will be conducting voting by computer. This figure represents about 44 % of the total number of electors. Would like to find out if electronic voting is used in your municipality? Inquire with your municipal council s election s service. HOW DOES ONE VOTE BY COMPUTER? 1. Insert your magnetic card into the card reader. The screen will indicate to you which elections you can issue a vote for. - Always be sure to place the light pen horizontally on the screen while pointing at the box you have chosen. - Make your choice amongst the different lists and then amongst the candidates on the chosen list. After each choice you are asked to confirm the latter. 2. You preliminarily choose the list you wish to vote for. - You have the following possibilities to issue a valid vote on the chosen list: either a list s head vote (leading candidate) either a nominative vote for one or several candidates (titular and/or alternates) 3. If you make a mistake it isn t a problem. Cancel your vote and star again. - However don t forget to confirm your choice each time. 4. After the la confirmation, the magnetic card is ejected from the machine. Give the latter to the returning officer for verification before dropping it in the electronic ballot box. WARNING In the municipalities of the Brussels region, in the German speaking municipalities, as well as in some language arrangement municipalities, the elector may first choose the language of the electoral procedures. He then has to confirm his choice of language. Look at the example on the right page. 6

7 (page 7) You insert your magnetic card into the voting machine s card reader. Be sure to place the light pen horizontally on the screen and press on the box of you choice, so to first choose a list and then choose one or several candidates within the chosen list. (A list vote is also possible) Confirm your choice. (Cancel your choice) After the last confirmation the magnetic card is ejected from the machine and you give it to the returning officer for verification before dropping it in the ballot box. 7

8 (page 8) HOW TO APPLY? In order to be qualified to be elected at the European Parliament in Belgium, you need to: Be inscribed on a Belgian electoral roll for the European Parliament on the 1 st of April 2004 Figure as a candidate on Belgian record of presentation, accepted by a main Belgian electoral office, after deposit at that office on the 16 th or the 17 th of April 2004 Hand in to the main electoral office a written an signed statement mentioning the address of your main residence and certifying that you are not candidate in an other member state Hand in to the main electoral office a statement issued by the competent authorities of your home state and certifying that your candidate qualifications have not been lapsed or suspended in that State on the day of the elections (13yh June 2004) or that those authorities have no knowledge of such forfeiture. Having reached the age of 21 by June the 13 th 2004 Capacity to have civil and politic rights on the 13 th of June 2004 The model form for candidature as been put on the Elections web site. Responsible Publisher L. VANNESTE, General Manager, Federal Public Service Domestic Affairs Rue de Louvain 3 in 1000 BRUSSELS