HOW TO VOTE in Malta
The European elections take place in Malta on 25 May 2019. Anyone aged 16 or over can cast a vote provided they register before 31 March 2019. This will be the first nationwide election in Malta in which 16-year-olds will be voting.
Normally voters do not need to register in advance, as this is done automatically by the authorities. However, you can check if you are listed on the electoral register via the website of the Electoral Commission Malta (https://electoral.gov.mt/), the national election authority.
You can register to vote at any time of the year. To register to vote in the 2019 European elections in Malta you have until 31 March 2019.
For more information, check out this website.
Yes, you can, but you have to register to vote by 31 March 2019 at the very latest if you are not registered. To find out how, see the website of the Electoral Commission Malta.
Voters in Malta vote for candidates and not political parties. There is no direct method to elect political parties and no set threshold. Candidates stand for election under the title and banner of a political party or as independents and those elected will represent their party or themselves. The only existing threshold for election - the quota - is for candidates, not parties. This quota is set by dividing the number of valid votes by the number of seats plus one. Since six MEPs will be elected, the quota will be the number of valid votes divided by seven.
Under EU law, all countries must use voting systems that ensure proportional representation.
Malta uses a form of proportional representation called the single transferable vote system. This means that voters rank the candidates in order of choice, and they can vote for as many or as few as they wish. The preferred candidate is given the number 1, the second most preferred candidate is given the number 2, the third is given the number 3, and so on.
To be elected, a candidate needs to receive a minimum number of votes, known as the quota (in the European elections this is the number of valid votes divided by seven). Once this quota is exceeded, the candidate is elected.
All surplus votes obtained by an elected candidate (the difference between the vote they receive and the quota) are then transferred to other candidates according to the next preferences expressed by voters (the number 2 on a ballot paper and so forth).
When there are no further surplus votes to be distributed and there are still unfilled seats, the candidates with the fewest votes are eliminated and their votes transferred to the voters’ next preferences. The transfer of votes and elimination of candidates continues as long as there are unfilled seats.
Prospective candidates who wish to stand for the elections should register with the Electoral Commission within a period as yet to be established by the Electoral Commission Malta. The indicative period will be in the first half of April 2019. A list of candidates will be published around mid-April 2019 and will be available on the site of the Electoral Commission Malta.
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