(1) Voters who will, on the day of election, presumably be abroad, may exercise their right to vote there in such a way that, if they have an electoral card, they send the electoral card in time to the address of the appropriate provincial electoral authority printed on the electoral card, observing to the provisions of al. 2 to 6.
(2) In case the voter does not make use of the possibility laid down in al. 1, the electoral card requires the confirmation by a person comparable to an Austrian notary or an institution authorised to make official certifications according to the law of the host state respectively, or by the head of the Austrian official representation or an official authorised by him for this purpose. The confirmation shall contain the identity of the voter and the place and date (day and time) when he put the sealed voting envelope back into the electoral card. The confirmation shall be issued before the closing of the last polling station in Austria.
(3) If the persons entitled to vote are members of a unit deployed abroad upon request for support by an international organisation, this confirmation shall be issued by the officer in charge of the unit or by a member of this unit authorised by him for this purpose.
(4) Furthermore, the confirmation may be effected by an adult witness of Austrian nationality, having a valid Austrian passport, of which document the dates of issue shall be noted on the electoral card, otherwise the vote shall be invalid.
(5) Such ways of exercising one’s right to vote that are not permitted in the respective country shall not be pursued.
(6) The electoral card together with the unopened voting envelope therein shall be submitted to the appropriate provincial electoral authority on the eighth day following the day of the election at 12:00 hours at the latest. Voting envelopes received late shall not be taken into account for ascertaining the election results.
