Every time there is a general election, or in this case a referendum on a national issue, the archaic system of voting in Malta comes under the microscope.

Why should a simple procedure like voting require someone to be physically present in the country, creating a hurdle for those Maltese who live abroad or those who plan to travel, and preventing them from exercising such a fundamental democratic right?

Other nations have perfected various systems, from allowing voters to vote by mail, to voting at their embassies, to voting by proxy.

For example, a UK-wide referendum on the voting system used to elect MPs to the House of Commons will take place on 5 May. The registration deadline is 14 April (15 April for Scotland). According to the official website, expats have been informed that “Every British citizen who has been registered to vote in the UK within the last 15 years is eligible to vote in UK Parliamentary (general) elections, European Parliamentary elections and referendums in the UK. Once you’re registered, you’ll need to decide how you want to vote depending on your personal circumstances. Ballot papers can be sent overseas, but you need to think about whether you have time to receive and return your ballot papers by 5 May. If you don’t think you can return them in time, you may want to consider voting by proxy.”

Incidentally, in the light of the fuss which is being made about the 2,800 voters who are 18 but who will not be eligible to vote in this referendum because of a technicality, one notes that young people in the UK can register to vote at the age of 16, and are automatically eligible the minute they become 18.

One wonders why the system in Malta has to be so unnecessarily complicated, leading to finger-pointing between the two parties as they accuse each other of trying to interfere in the democratic process of voting.

American citizens – even those who have resided out of the country for many years – are entitled to vote after registering with the state where they last resided and then using an absentee ballot which they send by mail. They can register to vote online and download their absentee ballot, also online.

Australians, on the other hand, can cast their vote for federal elections by either voting in person at an overseas polling place (i.e. an Australian Diplomatic Mission) or by applying for a postal vote.

French expats also retain, without time restrictions, their right to vote by proxy in all elections in France, including local, and for presidential elections and referendums. They can choose to cast their vote in the embassy or consulate of their country of residence as long as they have registered on the consular lists.

Other countries such as Austria, Belgium, Spain and the Netherlands give unrestricted voting rights to their expats, and Spain, Italy and Portugal provide theirs with representative bodies similar to the French.

Other countries, whose populations count in their millions, have shown it can be done – why should Maltese nationals who are overseas not be provided with the same service?