Elections and Referendum Voting Worldwide – Poland

Voting for the elections and referendum began on schedule at 7 a.m. local time (12 p.m. in Poland) at the Electoral Commission of the Polish Consulate in Curitiba, Brazil, confirmed by Vice Consul Bartosz Kniecicki in an interview with PAP.

Polls remain open until 9 p.m. local time (2 a.m. in Poland). During the same hours, Poles can vote at the electoral committee of the Polish Embassy in Brasilia.

Poles Voting in Brazil

National Electoral Commission data show 51 voters registered with the Brasilia district electoral commission and 73 in Curitiba.

In Latin American countries, the U.S. and Canada, voting occurs on Saturday. Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau noted this arrangement allows polls to close on Sunday Polish time, so compatriots abroad do not have to wait for voters across the Atlantic.

Voting in the United States

Voting for the Sejm, Senate elections and the nationwide referendum began in 25 districts across the eastern United States. Tens of thousands of Poles in the U.S. will vote in 52 committees across 21 states.

Voting started at 7 a.m. local time (1 p.m. ET) in 25 locations spanning Florida, Georgia, Washington, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Ohio, Michigan and Indiana. Due to time zone differences, polls opened an hour later in Illinois and Texas. An hour later, voting began at 3 p.m. Polish time in Colorado. A further hour later, polling stations opened on the West Coast in California, Oregon and Washington, as well as in Arizona and Nevada. All sites will stay open until 9 p.m. local time, meaning the latest closures will occur at 6 a.m. Polish time on Sunday in certain areas.

Registration on the e-Wybory platform has drawn tens of thousands; eight hours before the registration deadline, more than 41,000 had signed up. Chicago is expected to host the largest voter turnout, with at least eight committees serving a substantial number of registrants. In the Washington consular district, which includes five commissions in Florida, Georgia and D.C., 4,264 people registered, while in the Los Angeles consular district, covering San Francisco, San Diego, Portland, Seattle, Las Vegas and Phoenix, 5,719 were registered.

The overall voter count in the United States is anticipated to rank among the highest in history; estimates from past elections show significant participation in 2020 and earlier cycles.

Voting in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay

Voting began at the District Electoral Commission in Buenos Aires on Saturday at 7 a.m. local time (12 p.m. in Poland).

Poles can vote in Buenos Aires from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. local time (between 12 p.m. and 2 a.m. Polish time), according to the Consular and Polish Diaspora Department of the Polish Embassy in Argentina.

National Electoral Commission data indicate 216 voters registered with district electoral commission number 6 in Buenos Aires.

The Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Buenos Aires oversees the territory including Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.

No Problems in Chile

Voting in Santiago, Chile began on time at 7 a.m. local time (12 p.m. in Poland) without issues, according to the consular section of the Polish Embassy in Santiago.

There are 141 voters registered in the Santiago district electoral commission, per the National Electoral Commission website. Polls run from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. local time (12 p.m. to 2 a.m. Polish time).

The Polish Community in Canada

Voting has started in Canada for the Polish parliamentary elections and the referendum.

Polling began at 7 a.m. local time (1 p.m. in Poland) in eight committees in Ottawa, Montreal, Kitchener and the greater Toronto area. Winnipeg, Manitoba, Edmonton and Calgary opened an hour or two later, and Vancouver, British Columbia, opened three hours later. Voters could register via the e-election platform until midweek, with roughly 12,000 registered by noon local time on Wednesday.

Due to heightened international tensions, a police presence was noted by the Federal Police, or RCMP, on Election Day, as reported to PAP by Polish diplomatic missions.

Security remains discreet, though some additional patrols and procedures may be seen. In Ottawa, voters are requested to show their Polish passport before entering polling stations, and large bags are discouraged at both the Ottawa Embassy and the Toronto Consulate General.

Canada-wide, voting concludes when Vancouver closes at 9 p.m. local time, which is Sunday at 6 a.m. in Poland.

Elections at Sea

Four Polish ships and four offshore platforms will host voting for the Sejm, Senate and the nationwide referendum.

In late September, Infrastructure Minister Andrzej Adamczyk issued a regulation establishing voting circuits on Polish seagoing vessels for these elections. The regulated circuits cover eight maritime routes, including platforms in the Baltic Sea’s Polish economic zone owned by LOTOS Petrobaltic, with numbers 1000 through 1007.

Vessels voting include Dar Młodzieży, operated by the Maritime University of Gdynia; Baltica, operated by the Maritime Fisheries Institute – National Research Institute; Fryderyk Chopin, operated by 3OCEANS; and the OrP Kontradmirał Xawery Czernicki platform’s support vessels, operated by the 8th Coastal Defense Flotilla.

The captain’s lounge on Dar Młodzieży serves as the polling place. Regular crew members and cadets cast their ballots here, according to Bartosz Obajński of the Maritime University of Gdynia.

The urn remains sealed, and the ship’s crew assumes the role of the election committee chair. Voting runs from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. ship time, after which counts are compiled, reports prepared, and all documents packed for secure storage.

Results are transmitted to Poland via the Internet through a dedicated election website managed by the Central Electoral Commission, and the final report is posted aboard the ship for transparency. A total of 122 voters are registered on Dar Młodzieży. Voting will also take place on four mining and drilling rigs: Baltic Beta, Lotos Petrobaltic, Petrobaltic and Petro Giant.

The polling stations on the platforms are set in the recreation or meeting rooms, featuring a sealed ballot box, national flags and the Polish emblem, with a five-member electoral commission onsite. The ship’s captain appoints the committee members; on a platform, the administrator selects them.

Under Article 15 of the Electoral Act, voting circuits for voters aboard Polish seagoing vessels can be established when at least 15 voters are present and the ship sails under the Polish flag. The vessel’s voters are listed by the ship’s captain and shared with the mayor of Warsaw’s Śródmieście district, where data is entered into the CRW system.

The circuits on ships fall under Warszawa Śródmieście, as explained by Kmiecik.

The captain submits the voters’ list to the district election committee’s chair no later than the day before voting. The Electoral Commission oversees the process, counts votes post-voting, drafts protocols, and forwards them through the WOW system, awaiting approval of the protocols.

All documentation is submitted to the District Electoral Commission as soon as possible, or immediately after returning to the country. If not submitted before dissolution, the ship’s captain forwards the materials to the director of the National Electoral Office branch in Warsaw.

Yesterday, the voters’ list aboard Polish ships included 342 eligible voters.

READ ALSO:

– What about votes from outside Poland? The National Electoral Commission explains that commissions must follow guidelines and counting should proceed without problems

– When will the official results be known? The National Electoral Commission expects a response by Tuesday afternoon

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