Everything you need to know before Malta votes on May 30
Anyone who hasn't collected their voting document has until Thursday to do so
Some 356,832 people are eligible to vote in the May 30 general election, but anyone who hasn't collected their voting document has until Thursday at midnight to do so or forfeit their ballot.
During a press conference at the Naxxar Counting Complex on Monday, Electoral Commissioner Joseph Camilleri ran through the most important numbers of the campaign so far, including how many people are eligible to vote.
Camilleri said 356,832 people will be able to cast their ballot on May 30 or on any of the other days reserved for early voting, up by 1,767 people in 2022.
From these,18,122 are first-time voters.
Anyone who has not received or collected their voting document yet can do so from the electoral offices in Naxxar or Victoria, Gozo. However, people have until Thursday at midnight to collect their voting document. Whoever does not collect their document will not be able to vote.
If someone has lost their voting card, they can request a special document to replace their original card. The deadline for requests is Wednesday at 9pm.
People who will be serving as assistant electoral commissioners or as polling place officers on election day will be able to cast their vote on Tuesday, May 26.
Hospital patients will be able to vote on Thursday, May 28 between 7am and 10pm.
Friday is a national day of silence, meaning no political parties will be able to engage in propaganda. The same applies for voting day on May 30.
On voting day
At the polling station, people will not be allowed to congregate or use electronic devices, including mobile phones. Voters cannot take photos or videos at the polling station, and any photos of the ballot is strictly forbidden.
If a voter makes a mistake on their ballot, they can ask the assistant commissioners on site for a fresh ballot. Do not try to fix the mistake yourself.
There are 162 candidates split across six political parties vying for a seat in parliament. Two candidates are running as independents.
There are seven candidates contesting with Momentum, one candidate with Imperium Europa, seven with Aħwa Maltin, eight with ADPD, 72 with the Labour Party and 65 with the PN.
Voters will cast ballots in 852 boxes across Malta and Gozo. These will be sealed and transferred to the counting complex between Saturday and Sunday.
On counting day
On Sunday morning, the ballot boxes will be opened and placed on tables for easy sorting.
The sorting process will start at around 9am. During that process, assistant electoral commissioners will show each ballot to party representatives. Party representatives must be behind the perspex screens at the Naxxar counting hall by 8.45am.
Once the ballot papers are presented and sorted, the paper piles will be scanned digitally. Within seconds, the Electoral Commission should have the official results.
After the digital scanning, the results will be presented to party delegates, who will compare the official results to their own numbers. The delegates will have four hours to tell the Electoral Commission whether they agree with the result.