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Voting outside electoral district of residence at location of voter

If a voter is not staying in their residence and is unable to vote at a polling place of a voting district due to their state of health or for another good reason, they may apply to vote at their location (e.g. place of residence which is not their place of residence according to the population register).

Voting at the location of voter is held from the sixth day to the third day before the election day (from Monday to Thursday). Voting is takes place from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the temporary residence of the voter. Voting at the location of the voter must not be confused with home voting.

An application for voting at the location of the voter must be submitted in writing to a voting district committee organising the advance voting outside the electoral district of voter’s residence, or to a rural municipality or city government (in Tallinn, to a city district government) until 2 p.m. on the third day before election day (Thursday).

The application has to state the reason for applying for voting at the location of the voter, such as:

  • state of health;
  • advanced age;
  • difficult road conditions;
  • lack of transport.

If the voting district committee finds the application to be unsubstantiated, it will inform the applicant of the circumstances for dismissal of the application. 

Voting at the location of the voter is organised by at least two members of a voting district committee. Voters need to carry an identity document, because the voter’s right to vote is ascertained by their personal identification code. The voter also has know their place of residence according to the population register, because the ballot paper in envelope is sent to the electoral district of the voter’s residence.

For voting, a member of the voting district committee issues the voter a ballot paper, two envelopes and a copy of the consolidated list of candidates in the electoral district of the voter’s residence. The voter signs the list of voters against receipt of the ballot paper, and a notification on their voting is made in the electronic list of voters.

After completing the ballot paper, the voter places it in the internal (smaller) envelope received from a member of the voting district committee, and then places the envelope in the outer (larger) envelope. The voter’s name, personal identification code and residential address according to the population register as of 30 days before the election day are written on the outer envelope.

The voter deposits the ballot paper in the envelope in the ballot box designated for the ballot papers of voters who vote at their location outside the voting district of their residence. Each voter votes for themselves, and it is not allowed to authorise anyone else to do it. If a voter is unable to complete the ballot paper themselves due to a physical disability, another voter, but not a candidate, can do so at their request and in their presence.

If a voter is staying in a hospital or a twenty-four-hour social welfare institution during the advance voting period, they can also vote there. It is not necessary to submit a separate application; the voting district committee in cooperation with the administration of the institution organises the voting.

In a similar way, voting is organised for persons eligible to vote who are staying in custodial institutions but not serving a prison sentence. The administration of the institution submits the application for voting to be held.

In custodial institutions, hospitals and twenty-four hour social welfare institutions, voting at referendum is held from the sixth day to the third day before the referendum day. Voting at the location that is not the residence of the voter is held pursuant to the procedure for home voting.