Early voting in Iceland.
District commissioners shall act as presiding officers each in their respective administrative districts. District commissioners shall decide who shall serve as presiding officers and shall engage other representatives to work under their delegation. District commissioners shall apprise the National Electoral Commission each time of the identities of the presiding officers serving under their delegation.
Early voting may take place:
1.At a district commissioner’s head office, office or branch. District commissioners may decide that the voting shall take place at a special polling location outside their head office, and that the voting shall take place at other locations in their administrative districts. A district commissioner may decide to use a portable polling place, provided that non-discrimination is safeguarded in the provision of this service.
2.At municipal premises, given that the district commissioner shall at the request of the municipal council engage a presiding officer, who may be an employee of the municipality, to conduct the voting. At the request of the municipality, such a polling place may be portable, provided that non-discrimination is safeguarded in the provision of this service.
3.At health care and old-age care home premises, institutions for people with disabilities and prisons for voters residing there.
4.In a private home if the voter is unable to attend a polling session on polling day because of illness, disability or childbirth, unless the voter is able to vote in an institution under point
3. Requests for permission to vote in a private home shall be submitted in writing and supported by a certificate from a legally-competent person attesting to the voter’s circumstances, which shall have been received by the presiding officer in question no later than 10 a.m. two days prior to polling day.
The presiding officer shall publicise where and when voting may take place, this being done in the manner in which official notices are customarily published in each given locality. The procedure and polling hours shall enable voting to proceed as smoothly as possible. Voting under point 3 of paragraph 2 shall take place as close as possible to the polling day in consultation with the head of the institution or home in question. Voting under point 4 of paragraph 2 shall take place at a time decided by the presiding officer.
The presiding officer shall ensure that unlawful campaigning or interference and other activities designed to disrupt or hinder the conduct of the poll do not proceed at the polling station and in the immediate vicinity. [After receiving the recommendations of the National Electoral Commission, the Minister shall issue a regulation on unlawful campaigning in the vicinity of polling stations, election interference and other activities disrupting or hindering the polling process.] 1)
Registers Iceland shall give presiding officers access to its records and systems free of charge to enable them to perform their role.
If a voter has a serious infectious disease, the presiding officer shall organise early voting in consultation with communicable disease authorities. Voter disqualification may be applied if the communicable disease authorities consider that the voting in question cannot be arranged without endangering the health of the presiding officer or the general public.
After receiving the proposals of the National Electoral Commission, the Minister shall issue a regulation 2)on voting procedures under points 3 and 4 of paragraph 2 [and paragraph 6.]3)However, such voting shall not take place before 21 days prior to polling day. Notification shall be given to list agents, cf. Article 55, as to when voting under point 3 of paragraph 2 shall take place.
1)Act No. 62/2023, Article 232)Regulation No. 430/2022. 3)Act No. 18/2022, Article 5
