Voting in October Elections from the UK

In a Polish citizen from my mothers side (I got the passport a few years ago) and would like to vote in the October elections. Does anyone know how that will work (or how it worked last time)? I read some stories about issues during the Presidential elections, with ballot papers and the like

I'd also like to know if anyone is in a similar situation and how they feel about their votes impacting a country in which they do not live. Personally, I am conflicted about it

So you should be. You won't have to live with the consequences of your vote. It's not fair to use a vote that will impact the daily lives of people in another country but will not affect yours. An example is the question planned for the referendum which asks about raising the retirement age. This has a direct effect on state pensions in the future.

If you are going to vote for the most decent politicians grouped in KO, headed by Mr Prime Minister Donald Tusk, then Goddess bless you and good luck.

Call your Polish Embassy and ask them to put you on an electoral list. Do it now if you want to vote. It sometimes takes time or there are plenty of those who just like to do evething on a last minute...

Aren't overseas votes counted as part of the Warsaw electoral district? That certainly used to be the case, and I'm not sure if it's changed or not.

And that of course would mean that some of the posłowie for the city are chosen in part by people who don't live here or necessarily have any particular links with the city.

There was a talk about change in that regard. I don't know if they changed it or not. It doesn't affect those who vote and it is a way Polish gov handlles those isssues.


Doesn't that system pertain to the whole electoral system in Poland?
I think there is no much difference..

Italy does the same. There are people voting there who live in America and have never actually been to Italy.

They or their family members left, and can vote in their home country, America. Strange to vote somewhere you don't live or don't even have a house.

well, it is what it is..
I doubt that people with no ties to Poland at all bother to vote in Polish elections.

Iron, people with no ties to Poland can`t vote in Polish elections, it is logical.:):):)

It appears to be a hangover from the old days when settlers first arrived in America and their original homelands continued to allow them to vote. But generations later it's really bizarre. The idea of Americans voting in Polish or Italian elections, voting the government into power, and now deciding questions of national importance in referenda- madness. The other problem is that often these people have a sentimental and completely unrealistic idea of the 'homeland', know very little about real life there in modern times or what the issues are. They frequently vote because they are disillusioned with life in modern America and think they can maintain some kind of Eutopia in their ancestral homelands.

That's pretty well it. In the case of early settlers, voting was far from universal and when Italy got its franchise and Poland regained independence, there were strong nationalistic issues involved.


That suits one or two parties often, ones who aren't ashamed to collect votes from people who can5 pronounce the party name.


I've noticed that ever since I started using the internet, which was in Poland.

We see it here at PF all the time, with multiple threads over the years. 25 year old pot smoking Kurtan Mucklows in trailers in small town Indiana, very unhappy with their lives, fixating on tenuous ancestry and dreaming of becoming 'kawalers' (which they are anyway in the modern sense) or Winged Hussars, or the moustachioed Hetman of the Podolian Horde.

You should have been a journalist, Jon :) You have a way with words. You should consider writing a book about your experiences in Poland, something along the Bill Bryson Notes from a Small Island lines. I'd buy it!

Atch - I probably wouldn't vote in the referenda, as 1) IMO they are pretty stupid questions and 2) outcome has little impact on me (but cost to Poles in Poland)

On the parliamentary elections, I wouldn't bother if the difference wasn't so stark between KO and PiS (and the looming chance of Konfederacja as king makers). It would have been more straightforward in the Presidential elections, but I hadn't got it all sorted then.

Ironside - I've had mixed experiences with the Consulate. In person they have been very good, but anything online or via email is shocking. They didn't even acknowledge my email when I sent them positive feedback (I guess they didn't have a process for it ;-) ). I'll give it a go though if I don't see anything on the webpage

jon37 - Yes, i believe that's still the case (as with birth certificates being registered there too). Because polish district are multi member,a few more votes for one party may make a difference

P.S. Sorry for lack of quotes, I'm posting as a guest

Dealing with officials in Poland is much better than it used to be but if you're from the UK, you'll find Poles can seem quite rude. They often ignore emails and will generally only answer them if they absolutely must. They're not interested in your feedback. They actually don't care whether you found their service good or not and they won't pretend to care. Nobody does anything in Poland just to be nice or polite. They do things if they must or if they want to.


Yes they are - and they're actually just an opinion poll really. PIS will use them to justify actions they make take in the future. The one about immigrants is ludicrous because Poland has already been told by the EU that in acknowledgement of the number of Ukrainians they've taken, they won't be asked to take any other refugees or asylum seekers nor will they have to pay into the fund in lieu. So the question appears to be pointless. The actual purpose behind the questions is to try to stir up anti EU feeling among a section of the electorate who is not very well informed. They're testing the water for the ultimate aim which is Polexit. Kaczynski would like to see that happen before he dies.

I don't believe they will go that far. Polexit would be "exitus letalis" for Poland. They probably know it.

There may well be a middle way. Not everyone is happy with the move towards federalism that many in Germany, Belgium and Italy would accept and there's no reason that the next evolution of the EU won't be decided by countries unhappy with that model.

Certainly, the U.K. (who have acted on this and economically are doing well from that break), Poland and several others reject the idea of being part of a European superstate and the next big change may involve those two countries and others leading a move towards a Europe of nation states, with possibly some friendly and mature democracies outside Europe as part of that.

The only reason they won't is because they're afraid of Russia. But being in NATO mitigates that threat anyway. Kaczynski is delusional regarding Poland's economic strength, probably feels Poland is sufficiently on her feet now to go it alone. He has a fantasy of a completely independent Poland, free from what he perceives as foreign 'interference' in Polish affairs. I doubt that he'll achieve his aim but he'll keep trying. The EU however has to evolve. It needs an overhaul and needs to reform itself to reflect present circumstances. Europe is changing and the EU has to change with it. They need to look at the fact that they have no means to expel rogue members like Hungary. That has to be addressed.