Greece: Electoral rolls cleanup begins – Deadline until 31 December 2024

The Hellenic Interior Ministry has started cleaning up electoral rolls, implementing a provision included in the law on postal voting, approved last January.

According to an official announcement, the aim is to remove deceased voters from the rolls, particularly those abroad whose deaths were never reported to the relevant Greek authorities.

The cleanup targets voters aged 80 or older who were born before January 1, 1944, have not filed a tax return or are not listed as dependents in 2022 tax returns submitted by December 31, 2023, do not hold a valid Greek passport, and do not receive a pension.

Initial findings reveal that 440,654 voters aged 80 and above meet these criteria, are still listed in the rolls, and likely reflect Greece’s migration history. Regions such as Florina and Laconia, which experienced significant emigration from the 1950s to the 1970s, show the highest proportion of these voters. Many emigrants who passed away abroad without maintaining ties to Greece may not have been officially declared deceased and remain on the rolls.

The online tool “Find Out Where You Vote” (mpp.ypes.gov.gr) now displays a message for voters flagged for deletion: “You are listed in the Electoral Roll Deletion Category as part of the current Electoral Roll Cleanup. Please contact your local municipality or diplomatic authority to request the reversal of your deletion.”

Affected voters should visit their local municipality, or consulate if abroad, by December 31, 2024 to provide identification and request the reversal of their deletion. If no message appears, no action is required.

After December 31, 2024, voters can re-register exclusively with their original municipality. Additionally, on election day, voters who do not appear in the system can obtain a “Certificate for Omitted Voter” from their municipality to vote in any polling station within that jurisdiction.

Source: ekathimerini.com