Poststemme

Poststemme refers to the practice of casting a ballot by mail before Election Day. It is a voting method that allows eligible voters to participate without visiting a polling station on the day of the election, typically by requesting and returning a postal ballot.

The process usually involves several steps. A voter applies for a postal ballot with the electoral authority. Once approved, the voter receives the ballot, instructions, and envelopes, and completes the ballot in secrecy. The ballot is placed in a secrecy envelope, then in a return envelope and submitted by mail or handed to a designated return point before a specified deadline. In many systems, ballots are checked for eligibility and authenticity before being counted, and some jurisdictions also permit in-person drop-off or secure ballot drop boxes.

Eligibility and deadlines for poststemme vary by country and election. Common grounds for requesting a postal vote include travel, illness, disability, temporary absence, or being abroad. In some places, all voters may be eligible to request a postal ballot, while in others only those meeting specific criteria can do so.

Advantages of poststemme include greater accessibility for voters who cannot reach a polling place, the potential to alleviate crowding on election day, and the ability to vote at a convenient time. Criticisms focus on security and reliability concerns, such as the risk of lost or delayed ballots, potential coercion, and the administrative costs and complexities of managing postal voting.

To address these concerns, electoral systems employ security measures such as voter verification, signatures, tracking mechanisms, tamper-evident packaging, and strict receipt deadlines. The exact rules and practices of poststemme reflect national or subnational electoral laws.