The procedure for clearing them was initiated by the , due to the regulation contained in the law on epistolic vote, which was passed in January. The aim of the interior ministry’s process is to clear the electoral lists by voters who remain registered to them, while they have died, – mainly in foreign countries – but their deaths were not reported to the Greek authorities. “The clearance of the electoral lists, which for the first time takes place, using data that is in the knowledge of the Greek public, will allow us to have the actual representation of the electorate and, from now on, the actual determination of the participation and abstention of the voters in each election process,” said Interior Minister Thoris Livanios. “This is another practical application of the digitisation and interoperability of public registers that contributes to the better functioning of the state,” he continued. The winding-up concerns voters of 80 years or more who cumulatively meet the following conditions: (a) were born before 1 January 1944; (b) have not submitted a tax declaration themselves or appear as dependent persons in tax returns of the fiscal year 2022 submitted by 31 December 2023; (c) have no Greek passport in force and (d) have no pension. In order to identify the above-mentioned electors, a cross-check of their data, as shown in the electoral lists, with the Public Archives, from which the required conditions are confirmed, i.e. the Tax Register of AADE and the Passport Register of the Greek Police, in collaboration with the General Secretariat for Information Systems and Digital Governance of the Ministry of Digital Governance. From the intersection it emerged that today in the electoral lists there are 440,654 voters aged 80 years or older who did not submit a tax return in 2023, have no Greek passport in force and receive no pension. The Ministry of Interior estimates that these results are consistent, to a significant extent, with the country’s migration history, as certain areas of Northern Greece and the Peloponnese, as indicated by Florina and Laconia, which show during the recent elections even higher percentages of abstinence than the country as a whole, were those with the largest migration flows during the 1950s to 1970s and, at the same time, those in which a greater percentage of the 440,654 voters currently appear, compared with others. Consequently, Greek immigrants who died abroad, without maintaining property or other economic relations with Greece, may not have been declared in our country as deceased, and therefore have not been automatically removed from the electoral lists, as is the case for those living within the borders. For the total of 440,654 electors, the application of the Ministry of Interior has already been updated “Learn where you vote” (μpp.ypes.gov.gr), showing the message “You are included in the list of Elections to Delete from the Election Lists, as part of the current clearance of the Election Lists. You should contact your Municipality or the relevant Diplomatic Authority to request that your Delete be revoked.” What does an elector need to do if he meets all the above requirements? The Ministry of Interior invites the electors who meet the above criteria to visit the application “Learn where you vote” to confirm, by filling in the surname, name, maiden name and year of birth, if the relevant message appears in their registration. If an elector identifies the message that he is a member of the list of electors to be removed: he goes to the municipality concerned until 31 December 2024 (a) by 31 December 2024, i.e. either the municipality in whose municipal register he is registered or in the municipality where he votes as a heterodemic or in his municipality of residence at the consulate of his place of residence, if he is resident abroad, and – asks, by presenting the identity or other official document (pass in force or expired, a driving licence) to remove his deletion from the electoral lists. The removal of the deletion is completed immediately, at the same time, in order for the elector to remain on the electoral list. There is also the possibility to come to the municipality or consulate and expressly authorised by the elector, which, in addition to his identity document, must also be authorised by the elector by the gov.gr (or by a genuine signature visa). In this case, the municipality concerned shall also be considered to be the municipality where the authorised person is registered or votes or resides. Accordingly, a consulate of the place of residence shall be considered the consulate of the place where the authorised person resides. If the elector does not identify in the “Find out where you vote” application a message that he is included in the list of voters to be deleted, it means that he remains on the electoral list and is not required to take any action. It is clarified that, even if the elector does not request the removal of the deletion by 31 December 2024, he may address exclusively the Municipality to which the municipal register is registered in order to be re-listed on the electoral list. Furthermore, as is the case for any election contest, even if on the day of holding an election an elector does not appear in the application “Learn where you vote” he may again come to the municipality, whose demolog is registered and receive “A confirmation of missing election”. With this confirmation the elector may vote in any constituency of the municipality in whose municipal register he is registered. Frequently asked questions and answers about the process of clearing E electoral lists: What exactly does the elector mean ‘set to be deleted’? A: According to Article 29 of Law 5083/2024 the process of erasure of voters from the electoral lists, which cumulatively meet the following conditions: a. are born before 1 January 1944 b. have not submitted themselves or appear as dependent persons in tax returns of the fiscal year 2022 submitted until 31 December 12,2023 c. do not have an active Greek passport in force d. do not receive a pension. Q: What must the elector born before 1 January 1944 do to confirm that he is not put out of the electoral lists? A: The elector until 31 December 2024: i. Checks in the application “Learn Where You Vote” of the Ministry of Interior, bpp.ypes.gov.gr, if an informative message appears that the elector has joined the list of voters “To Delete” from the Election Lists. To this end, it shall supplement its surname, name, maiden name and year of birth in the relevant areas of the application. ii. If he identifies the message that he is a member of the list of electors to Delete, he goes a) to the municipality concerned, i.e. either to the municipality in whose municipal register he is registered or to the municipality where he votes as a heterodinator or to his municipality of residence or (b) to the consulate of his place of residence, if he is resident abroad, and asks, by presenting the identity or other official document (pass in force or expired, a driver’s licence) to remove his deletion from the electoral lists. There is also the possibility to refer to the above points and expressly authorised by the elector, which, in addition to his identity document, must be authorised by the elector by the gov.gr (or by a genuine signature visa). In this case, the municipality concerned shall also be considered to be the municipality where the authorised person is registered or votes or resides. Accordingly, a consulate of the place of residence is considered the consulate of the place where the authorised person resides. iii. If the elector does not identify in the “Find out where you vote” application a message that he is included in the list of voters to Delete, it means that he remains registered in the electoral list and is not required to take any action. E: But I have submitted a tax statement and yet I appear ‘Deleting’ on the electoral list. Why? A: This may happen, in few cases, where the data of the elector is not identified with the AADE Registry. For example, while in the electoral list (and therefore in the municipal register) the main name is “Constantine”, in the AADE register appears as “CON/NOS”. In this case, the elector must follow the procedure described in the previous question, asking the municipality or consulate to withdraw its deletion from the electoral lists. It should be noted that, in order to finally resolve this mismatch and correctly indicate the name of the citizen and in the register of the AADE, it is necessary, with the care of him, to correct the data in the AADE register. In any case, if requested to remove the deletion from the electoral lists, its registration will remain active. Q: Although I appear “To Delete” I did not act until 31.12.2024. Won’t I be able to vote? A: In this case, if there is no next election contest you can address the Municipality in which the municipal register is registered, so that it can rewrite you on the electoral list. If, however, on the day of the election you do not appear in the application “Learn where you vote” you can again come to the municipality, whose municipal register you are registered for, and request “A confirmation of missing voters”. With this confirmation you have the possibility to vote in any part of the municipality in which you are registered.
Ministry of the Interior: Clearing of electoral lists began – Who concerns, all steps
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in Greece