Wednesday is final registration day for citizens who want to vote abroad in presidential election

Wednesday is the final day in which the citizens who want to vote abroad in the presidential elections can register on www.votstrainatate.ro 

Those who wish to vote abroad in the presidential elections can register as voters abroad through an online form, until 23:59:59 at the latest. 

According to www.votstrainatate.ro, until Tuesday evening there were approximately 28,400 requests to vote in polling stations and 29,800 requests to vote by mail. 

As regards the vote in the polling station, by registering as a voter abroad, the Romanian citizen that has a right to vote and who is abroad on polling day, regardless of the reason, requests the organization of a polling station in the locality and state where he wants to vote. 

By completing this form, the Romanian citizen expresses his desire to vote abroad in the presidential elections on November 10 and 24, and he is to be removed from the permanent electoral lists in Romania and added to the permanent electoral lists abroad. 

According to the law, if 100 citizens from the same locality or group of localities register to vote in polling stations, one will be established for them. 

By registering as a voter by correspondence, the Romanian citizen with a right to vote who lives abroad and holds valid residency documents from that state requests the delivery by mail of the voting documents at his postal address. 

By completing this form, the Romanian citizen expresses his desire to vote by mail in the presidential elections and he is to be removed from the permanent electoral lists in Romania and added to the permanent electoral lists for postal voting. 

To complete voting by mail several steps must be taken, the first being registration, which involves completing the form on the portal www.votstrainatate.ro with the option for postal voting. This form must have as addenda the scanned copy or photograph of the ID card and the copy of the document that proves a right to residency, issued by a relevant foreign authority. 

The Romanian Post sends to the voter the following documents which are necessary to exercise correspondence voting: two outer envelopes, marked distinctly for each round of the polls; two inner envelopes, marked distinctly for each round of the polls; two stickers that say "VOTED", marked distinctly for each round of the polls; two voters' certificates, marked distinctly for each round of the polls; two ballots for postal voting, marked distinctly for each round of the polls; instructions in regards to exercising the right to vote; two stickers with the address of the electoral bureau for the postal vote in that country which the voter will apply on the outer envelopes. 

With regard to voting, the ballot is marked with the sticker saying "VOTED" in the square with the preferred candidate; the ballot thus marked is inserted in the inner envelope, which has no distinguishing mark, then it is sealed; the voter certificate is completed, mentioning the date and signing the holograph; the inner envelope and the voter certificate are inserted into the outer envelope, which is to be sealed. 

The voter with his/her domicile or residence abroad has three options for sending the sealed outer envelope containing his/her vote: he/she sends it to the country, submitting the envelope to any post office or to any mailbox of the host state; submit it to any courier operator or send it to the headquarters of the diplomatic mission or consular office of the host state, as the case may be, at his/her own expense; may submit it personally to the headquarters of the diplomatic mission or consular office in the host country, as the case may be. 

The last day of registration is September 11, though the chair of the Permanent Electoral Authority, Constantin-Florin Mituletu-Buica, has said they are attempting to promote an Emergency Ordinance that would extend the deadline to September 15.