What does one vote for?

Voting takes place in the Foreign Constituency to elect 8 members of the House of Representatives and 4 members of the Senate of the Republic.

  • In the Europe Division voting takes place to elect 3 representatives and 1 senator.
  • In the South America Division voting takes place to elect 2 representatives and 1 senator.
  • In the North and Central America Division voting takes place to elect 2 representatives and 1 senator.
  • In the Africa, Asia, Oceania and Antarctica Division voting takes place to elect 1 representative and 1 senator.

Who votes abroad?

Citizens registered in AIRE who reside in countries where local conditions allow voting via mail and those who have been temporarily abroad for at least three months for work, study or medical reasons and have communicated their choice to vote abroad to their Municipality of residence by 24 August 2022 as well as their accompanying family members having also opted to do so.

How does one vote?

Voting takes place via mail in the manner indicated by the Act 459 of 27 December 2001 and the Decree by the President of the Italian Republic n. 104 of 2 April 2003. In particular:

  1. the Consular Offices will send by post to each voter an envelope containing:

  • the electoral certificate (i.e.  the document certifying the right to vote);
  • the lists of candidates of their own division (House of Representatives and Senate);
  • the ballot papers (one for the House of Representatives and one for the Senate);
  • a small, entirely white envelope;
  • a larger size, stamped envelope bearing the address of the relevant Consular Office;
  • this information leaflet.

  1. all voters who have reached the age of 18 as of 25 September 2022 will receive the ballot papers and the lists of the House of Representatives and the Senate;

  2. the voter indicates his vote by putting a mark (e.g. a cross or a slash) on the symbol of the chosen list or for that matter on the rectangle of the ballot paper containing it, using EXCLUSIVELY a black or blue ballpoint pen;

  3. each voter can indicate a preference vote by writing the candidate's surname in the appropriate line next to the marked symbol. The law prescribes that the number of preferences varies according to the electoral division (maximum two preferences in the divisions that have been assigned two or more representatives or senators and a maximum of one preference in the others). Each voter can indicate as many preferences as there are lines next to each symbol;

  4. the ballots must be inserted in the entirely white envelope which must be accurately sealed and contain only and exclusively the electoral ballots papers;

  5. in the larger stamped envelope (bearing the address of the relevant Consular Office) the voter must insert the electoral certificate slip (after having clipped it from the certificate following the appropriate dotted line) and the small, sealed envelope containing the marked ballot papers;

  6. the stamped envelope containing the above items must be mailed to and arrive at the Consular Office by and not later than 4 pm (local time) of 22 September 2022;

  7. the ballot papers received after the said deadline shall not be scrutinized and will be incinerated.

ATTENTION

  • no identification marks must appear on the ballot papers, the small white envelope and the electoral certificate slip;     
  • the sender must not be written on the stamped envelope;
  • the small white envelope and the ballot papers must be intact;
  • the vote is personal, free and secret and it is forbidden to vote more than once;
  • the voter must personally guard the electoral material sent to him by the Embassy or Consulate;
  • it is absolutely forbidden to pass the electoral material on to a third party;
  • whoever violates the relevant provisions incurs the penalties prescribed by the law. As per Article 18 of the Act 459/2001:

"1. Whoever commits any of the offenses set down by the consolidated Act of Laws containing rules for the election of the members of Parliament, referred to in the Decree of the President of the Republic n. 361 of 30 March 1957, and subsequent amendments, is punished according to the Italian law. The penalties prescribed in Article 100 of the said consolidated Act, in the case of voting via mail are doubled. 2. Anyone who, when voting for the Houses of Parliament and in a referendum, votes both via mail and in the constituency where he/she was last registered in in Italy, or who votes several times via mail is punished with one to three years imprisonment and with a fine from 52 to 258 euros".