The House of Representatives this evening started debating changes to the Electoral Law so that people who declare that they will be abroad during polling day at general, local or European Parliament elections, may vote on the Saturday before.
The Bill was moved by Foreign Minister Tonio Borg, who said this was another step forward to make it easier for people to turn up on election day.
Malta currently did not allow postal voting or voting at its embassies. One was only eligible to vote if he was Maltese and had lived in Malta for six of the 18 months prior to an election. This meant that eligible voters had to come to Malta.
Likewise, those residing in Malta but who had to go abroad could not vote. But through these amendments, these could now vote.
Dr Borg recalled seeing patients on stretchers being carried into polling booths because these could not vote in hospitals or old peoples’ homes. The only exception was St Vincent de Paul Residence inmates. Although he admired these patients for their civic duty, he said he would not like to continue to witness these scenes.
At present, the only people allowed to vote before the official polling day were assistant electoral commissioners who could vote on Friday.
The minister said the amendments allowed every registered voter who was entitled to cast his vote between 7.00 pm and 10.00 pm on the Saturday before polling day.
This meant that in the coming elections for the European Parliament, those who would not be in Malta on June 6 could vote on May 31.
This change stemmed from a request by the Malta Olympic Committee because athletes taking part in the Small Nations Games would be in Cyprus on election day. Many suggestions had been put forward and the government was moving these amendments to make possible early voting not just for the athletes, but all those who happened to be abroad on polling day.
Dr Borg asked what was wrong in all this. Why all this fear in the Opposition?
He said there was a fixation in the PL that it had lost the last general election by the 1,500 votes of those who came from abroad.
The argument was whether these people, whose names appeared in the electoral register, had a right to vote.
Before the Select Committee on Democratic Change there was a proposal for people living overseas to vote in embassies. So, why all this fuss? he asked.
The minister said that the sworn declaration may be made, as of right, until noon of the Friday immediately preceding the day established for voting before polling.
He hoped that the opposition agreed with the amendments but the government was ready to discuss any other suggestion. It was important that the highest number of Maltese exercise their right to vote.
This Bill was urgent because it was desirable that the legislation be in place by the end of the month.
Concluding, Dr Borg said the amendments did not mean that Malta would have two election dates. There was only one date but a limited number of people, after making a sworn declaration, could vote one week earlier.