Voting rights of foreign nationals in referendums on merging of local authorities

Referendum on merging of local authorities will take place in many municipalities on the 8^th of October 2005 (see enclosed list of municipalities). In the referendum the same election laws apply as in general municipal elections.

All foreign nationals who have had five years of continuous (uninterrupted) legal residence (domicile) in Iceland counting from the date of the forthcoming election, i.e. from 8^th of October 2000, and are at least 18 years old, are granted the right to vote.

Danish, Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish citizens in accordance with acting laws are granted the right to vote in Iceland after at least three years of continuous legal residence in the country – counting from the date of the forthcoming referendum.

Do I need to apply to be enrolled (registered) as a voter?

No. All individuals who have had a legal address in respective municipalities for at least three weeks prior to the referendum and fulfil the requirements of the electoral law are on the electoral roll - based on the information provided by the Statistical Bureau of Iceland (Hagstofa). Therefore you do not need to apply specially to be registered as a voter, as is often practiced overseas. Those individuals, however, who have moved their residence from one municipality to another, must make sure to notify the Statistical Bureau of Iceland of the change of address no later than on the 17^th of September 2005 by filing the forms available at the Statistical Bureau (Hagstofa).

If the legal address is properly registered, and the voter fulfils all the requirements set forth with regard to age and length of residence in Iceland, one can generally expect to be registered as a voter. Those in doubt should, however, enquire whether their names are on the electorate roll. The electorate roll should be made available to the public for at least 10 days before the referendum. Usually, the electorate roll is available at the offices of municipal authorities, where the staff can provide further information.