The Ministry is also asking for the count date, which is set for 30 September, to be put back
It argues that it has not been possible to send postal voting documents yet due to a number of appeals lodged with the Constitutional Court
The Ministry of Governance and Institutional Relations has asked the Central Electoral Commission (JEC) for an extension of the deadline for Catalans living abroad to send their postal votes for the election to the Parliament of Catalonia on 27 September. The deadline is at present 22 September for people permanently living abroad (CERA) and 23 September for those who are living there temporarily (ERTA) under Section 75 of the Election Procedure Act 5/1985, of 19 June, and Section 5.1 of Royal Decree 1621/2007, of 7 December, respectively.
The reason for the request is that so far it has not been possible to send the documents for postal voting from abroad due to appeals lodged with the Constitutional Court against the announcement of lists in all four constituencies in Catalonia. This delay may mean that voters who are abroad and have asked to vote by post will not receive their ballots in time to vote within the legal deadline set.
If the JEC does agree to extend the deadline for sending votes, the Ministry of Governance and Institutional Relations would also like the date for counting, at present set for 30 September, to be put back by the same number of days. The Ministry is concerned that if this is not done, and even when people have voted within the deadline, it will not be possible to count their votes because they will arrive after 30 September due to the delay in sending out the postal voting ballots.