© pol de wilde – corelio
During the federal, Flemish and European elections of June 9, all Belgians entitled to vote must go to the voting booth, but for many compatriots it is impossible to get there. Fortunately for them, there is voting by proxy: but who is allowed to give such a proxy? And how do you actually do that?
What is a valid reason to give a power of attorney?
Not everyone is allowed to simply give a proxy and let someone else vote in his or her place. The law provides seven reasons or categories of voters who have a valid reason to give a proxy. It’s about sick and disabled people who are unable to get to the polling station; employees who cannot show up at the polling station on time due to their profession; self-employed people, skippers, market or fairground vendors who cannot register at the polling station due to their activity; holidaymakers who are not in the country on election day; students who cannot combine their studies with a visit to the polling station; prisoners and finally believers who cannot be present at the polling station for religious reasons.
Anyone who falls into one of those categories is still not allowed to simply abandon their civic duty. Sick and disabled people need a certificate from their doctor, employees from their employer and self-employed persons from their municipal council. Even if you are traveling abroad on June 9, your municipality must certify your power of attorney form. Holidaymakers must also provide documentary evidence of their trip, such as a hotel reservation or a plane ticket, or make a declaration of honour.
Students must have their power of attorney form signed by their educational institution, prisoners by the prison management, believers by their religious authorities, self-employed persons by their municipality and students by their educational institution.
To whom can I give power of attorney?
To any other eligible voter within the same electoral district. But be careful: that person may not yet have another proxy, as one voter may only have one proxy. This rule is intended to prevent politicians, for example, from recruiting multiple proxies from nursing homes. Another small catch: underage voters and non-Belgian EU citizens are only allowed to vote for European Parliament candidates. They therefore cannot exercise power of attorney for an adult Belgian.
How do I give power of attorney?
To give a power of attorney, you must complete the aforementioned power of attorney form, which can be found here under the heading ‘Forms’ or is available free of charge at the town hall. This is even possible up to election day. Once the form is attested, both the grantor and proxy must sign the document. The person who receives the proxy must first vote at his own polling station and then at the election station of the person who gives the proxy. He or she must have the completed and attested proxy form and his or her own stamped summons letter and identity card.
What do I risk if I wrongly give or receive power of attorney?
There are fines for so-called proxy fraud. “Anyone who casts a vote instead of someone who has not requested one risks a fine of up to 200 euros and even prison sentences of one month to one year,” says Koen Schuyten, spokesperson for the FPS Home Affairs. “If you give power of attorney to someone while in reality you could have voted yourself, there is a fine of up to 200 euros.”
