Summary
As an EU citizen, you can assert your right to vote at the municipal elections in the German-speaking Community if you fulfil the conditions described below. By submitting your vote, you influence future decisions in a variety of areas that directly affect your daily life. The municipal council elections take place every six years on the second Sunday in October. The next municipal elections will take place on 13 October 2024.
In detail
To be eligible to vote in the municipal elections you must:
- Be a citizen of a member state of the European Union;
- Be 18 years old at least on the day of the elections;
- Be registered in the population register of a municipality of the German-speaking Community no later than 1 August of the year in which the elections take place;
- Be registered in the electoral roll of a municipality of the German-speaking Community no later than 31 August of the year in which the elections take place;
- Have the right to vote at the latest on the day of the elections; (i.e. not be in any case of exclusion or suspension stipulated in the electoral legislation)
In order to vote in municipal elections, you must fill in a registration form and submit it to your municipal administration. You can request the form from your municipal administration or download it from the FPS Home Affairs website or fill it in electronically. If you have previously applied for registration on the electoral roll for municipal council elections and were approved, you do not need to apply again.
If you are registered on the electoral roll, the municipality will send you your election appeal by post at least 15 days before the day of the elections. The election appeal specifies when and where exactly you can vote on the day of the elections. If your election appeal cannot be sent, it will be deposited at the municipal office. You can pick it up there until noon on election day.
Compulsory voting: Once you are registered on the electoral roll, you are legally obliged to vote in the municipal council election. Otherwise you will face the penalties set out in the electoral legislation.
Documents: On the day of the elections, you must bring your election appeal and your identity card to the polling station.
In the cases specified in the electoral legislation, a voter may give or receive a single proxy up to the day before the election.
Give power of attorney: As a European voter, you may appoint another voter as your proxy. To do this, you must complete the power of attorney form and provide proof with the relevant receipt. The proxy form can be downloaded from the election portal of the German-speaking Community or requested from your municipal administration.
Receive power of attorney: As a European voter, you may obtain a proxy from a belgian voter. If you are a candidate for the municipal election yourself, you may only be authorised to vote on behalf of your spouse or legally cohabiting partner, or for relatives or in-laws. On the day of the elections, in addition to your voting request and your identity card, you must also bring the proxy form and the respective receipt of the person granting the proxy to the polling station.
In certain cases, as specified in the electoral legislation, voters may apply for reimbursement of their travel expenses. For this purpose, a completed claim form with the electoral request stamped by the electoral office board and the relevant receipt, as stipulated in the electoral legislation, must be submitted to the Province of Liège by 13 January 2024. You can download the claim form on the election portal of the German-speaking Community.