Four months ahead of the European elections, the European Parliament has unveiled a new website detailing how to vote in each member state or from abroad.

The website is designed to help people find all relevant information they need in one place. This is the first time that the Parliament has offered such a tool to enable everyone to make their vote count in the European elections.

 

Step-by-step to cast your vote

National voting rules for each country are explained in a Q&A format, including information on voting day, voting age, registration deadlines, documents needed to register to vote as well as thresholds for political parties or total number of MEPs to be elected per country and links to the websites of national electoral authorities.

As this information is country-specific, the website provides answers on each EU country in the official language(s) of that country and in English.

 

Voting from abroad

The website offers information on how to vote from abroad (whether from another EU country or from a third country) or by proxy. This might be particularly relevant, for instance, for some 3 million EU citizens residing in the UK.

 

The website also contains:

• A 'question and answer' section on the European Parliament, the lead candidates and what happens after the elections,
• Information on how citizens can get involved in raising awareness of the elections themselves,
• A section with election-related news from Parliament's main website,
• A link to an election results page,
• Links to European Parliament's political groups and European political parties.

The new website is the third one launched by the European Parliament ahead of May's elections. The EP has also launched a mobile app.

The website www.thistimeimvoting.eu aims to build a community of supporters to help encourage a higher turnout at the European Elections. Users are also urged to encourage their friends to vote and also to become active in their local communities.

The website www.what-europe-does-for-me.eu is an interactive, multilingual portal put together by the European Parliamentary Research Service, that presents hundreds of easy-to-read, one-page notes giving examples of the positive difference that the EU makes to people's lives. Users can easily find specific information about what Europe does for their region, their profession or their favourite pastime.

The Citizens' App, developed by Parliament, provides insight into how the EU shapes our daily lives and encourages you to get involved in its future. The app presents a wealth of information on the EU's impact on various aspects of our lives. Are you an organic farmer? Do you practice sports outdoors? Would you like to do some volunteering? There are important ways in which EU rules make things easier for you and this app will show you how.

Another section looks at what the EU is doing in regions across Europe. Regardless of where you live, you can always find projects improving the quality of life supported by the EU.