Historically, the right to vote has been granted on the basis of citizenship and residence. These two criteria remain the most restrictive in terms of who can vote in elections.
Nationality (citizenship)
Citizenship is one of the main markers of eligibility to vote, particularly in the elections of the legislature, which are generally seen as constitutionally being the most important of all. Citizenship of the respective State is therefore a requirement aimed at the preservation of national interests.
important Only Estonian citizens can vote in the parliamentary elections. EU citizens are eligible to vote in local elections, provided that they are registered in the Population Register.
Residence
Normally, people eligible to vote would do so in their country of citizenship. However, there may be situations when you are not in your country of citizenship at the time of elections.
Estonian law does not restrict the right to vote of Estonian citizens residing abroad. Estonian citizens have three options for voting in a foreign country:
- Voting electronically, using an ID card. Electronic voting takes place over several days in advance of the voting day. It is important to make sure you have valid PIN codes to use your ID card for voting.
- Voting in Estonia’s foreign representations on specific dates before the voting day.
- Voting by mail, for which you must send your application to vote to your chosen representation by a certain date.
Voters who live abroad permanently must have a designated electoral district, which is usually the last place of residence of Estonia. To check whether you have a designated electoral district or submit details about your last place of residence, you can contact the Population Register.
According to human rights law, the question of eligibility for voting in elections for the European Parliament can be decided by each Member State. A person can be prohibited from voting if they are not resident, and states do not have to grant unrestricted voting rights to citizens who do not reside in that particular State.
All EU citizens residing in another EU Member State are entitled to vote in the respective local elections.
note The European Convention on Human Rights does not impose an obligation on states to introduce a system for non-resident citizens to vote.