EDMONTON-WASHINGTON, D.C. – For the millions of voting-age Ukrainians living outside Ukraine, it can seem like too much of a hassle to vote in the March 31 presidential elections back home, so many people just don’t cast a ballot. But voting from abroad turns out to be quite easy, and it is worth the effort.
Citizens of Ukraine who permanently or temporarily reside abroad can vote if they are included in the voter list of a local consulate or an embassy.
Here’s how to vote from Canada and the United States.
Voting in Canada
Where to vote? Ukrainian citizens living in Canada can cast their votes at one of three polling stations: in Edmonton (the Consulate General of Ukraine), Ottawa (the Embassy of Ukraine), or in Toronto (the Consulate General of Ukraine).
Who can vote? Every citizen of Ukraine who has reached the age of 18 and who is a permanent resident in Canada or holds temporary resident status (including a visitor’s visa) can exercise their right to vote at the elections under the following conditions.
What’s the procedure? To be eligible to vote Ukrainian citizens must be included in the list of voters at the polling station where they are planning to vote. Voters have to check their names, making sure they are spelled correctly and the address in the State Register of Voters is right: www.drv.gov.ua.
If a Ukrainian citizen would like to change their voting address and register at a polling station in Canada, they can inquire at the Ottawa embassy, or the consulates in Toronto or Edmonton. For the presidential election, this has to be done before March 25.
For Ukrainians living in western Canada, the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections will be the first time they can vote at the Edmonton Consulate, which opened its doors in September 2018.
Previously, citizens had to travel across the country to Ottawa or Toronto to vote – a journey of nearly 3,000 kilometers in a country where travel can be prohibitively expensive. Nadia Kostenko, Ukraine’s Consul in Edmonton said she hopes that in the future the consulate will make it easier for all Ukrainians in western Canada to vote.
The most important thing is to request a free temporary consular registration, which can be done at the consulate by booking an appointment with the consul. All the forms and the photographs needed for the registration are available at the consulate. The person needs to bring his or her valid Ukrainian travel document.
There is also a process in place if a voter prefers not to be placed on a consular registry. To change his or her voting address to an overseas one, simply visit the consulate and file a change-of-address request with the electoral commission between March 12 and March 25.
“The sooner we know the details, the sooner we can apply for an address change to the State Registry of Voters,” Nadia Kostenko, Ukraine’s Consul in Edmonton, explained. “We’re happy to assist everyone but it will be impossible to make changes on Election Day.”
As for many Ukrainians, the opening of the consulate finally gives Ivan Lypovyk, an Edmonton-based entrepreneur, a chance to vote in the elections.
“I haven’t voted in Canada before, as going to Toronto was pretty expensive,” Lypovyk told the Kyiv Post. “The consulate here has changed a lot – a lot of people have already got a consular registration and renewed their passports to be eligible to vote.”
Lypovyk, an active member of the Ukrainian community in Edmonton, is also helping the consulate to form an electoral commission. He says the interest of the community is great.
“I posted in the local Ukrainians in Edmonton Facebook group that the consulate is looking for Ukrainians with valid passports who can volunteer to work at the electoral commission. And by the morning of the next day 14 people had agreed to do so.”
Voting in the United States
At the end of 2018 the Ukrainian embassy in the United States launched an outreach campaign to inform expats about opportunities for Ukrainian citizens to vote while in the United States. The Ukrainian embassy held seminars and meetings, disseminated memos and newsletters explaining certain aspects of legislation and procedure.
Where to vote? In the 2019 presidential and parliamentary elections in the United States, Ukrainian citizens can vote at four polling stations: at the Embassy of Ukraine in Washington, D.C. and at Consulates General of Ukraine in Chicago, New York and San Francisco.
Who can vote? Every citizen of Ukraine who has reached the age of 18 and who is a permanent resident of the United States or temporarily staying abroad can exercise their right to vote under the following conditions.
What’s the procedure? To be eligible for voting, Ukrainian citizens must be included in the list of voters at the polling station where they are planning to vote. For this purpose, the voters have to check their names, ensuring they are spelled correctly and the correct address is listed in the Public Registry of Voters: www.drv.gov.ua.
If Ukrainian citizens would like to be registered at the polling stations overseas, they have to follow a few simple steps: either make a request for the Consular Registration or make a request to be enrolled or to change the address in the State Register of Voters.
All these services are available at the Consular Offices of Ukraine in the United States.
On election day voters must present a Ukrainian passport for traveling abroad at a polling station in the United States.
The embassy calls upon citizens to register in advance, as it is not possible to make changes to the voter list on Election Day.
During the 2014 election, more than 4,800 Ukrainian citizens exercised their vote in the presidential elections from polling stations in the United States, while almost 2,600 voted in the 2014 parliamentary elections.
“In recent history the conduct of the Ukrainian elections has demonstrated a firm trend of (being held in a) democratic, free, fair and transparent manner and have been internationally recognized as such. This is a point of no return,” Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States, Valeriy Chaly, said in a comment to the Kyiv Post. “It is of paramount importance that the forthcoming elections also prove that Ukrainians’ choice for European and Euro-Atlantic integration is irreversible.”
