Voting on election day

A polling station is the place where one votes. The voter votes at a polling station in the municipality where he/she has a legal domicile.

Before the election, one can access the website of Registers Iceland (Þjóðskrá Íslands) to find out where to vote.

Polling stations are generally open from 9 a.m. to 22 p.m. on election day.

Polling stations may have shorter opening hours. Information on opening hours may be found on websites of municipalities.

How does voting take place?

The voter will find his/her precinct at the polling station that is a particular location at the polling station. Precincts are determined by home addresses. In smaller municipalities there is generally only one precinct. Lists with street names and precincts are posted at polling stations. Most polling stations have staff that can assist voters to find the right precinct and information on in which precinct the voter votes is accessible here.

The Election Board receives the voter and requests the address and identification, such as a driver license or passport, but the voter can also identify him/herself in another adequate manner acceptable to the Election Board. A digital driver´s license can be presented.

The Election Board marks the voter on the Election Register and provides a ballot. The voter takes the ballot to the voting booth where one can vote without anyone seeing.

In the voting booth the voter marks an X with a writing instrument into a box before the choice he/she wishes to make.

Cards with braille are made available to read and mark on the ballot.

When the voter has voted, the ballot is folded, the voter leaves the voting booth, and the ballot is inserted into the ballot box outside the booth.

Who is running for president?

Voting assistance

All voters can receive assistance to vote and need not give a reason why. A voter can bring his/her own assistant or receive assistance from personnel at the polls.

If a voter brings his/her own assistant, the following applies:

• The assistant must complete a special form/declaration.

• The assistant cannot be a candidate in the elections nor a spouse, child, sibling, or parent of a candidate.

• An assistant may not assist more than three voters in the same election.

If a voter receives assistance to vote at a polling station, the Election Board shall halt all traffic at the precinct during the vote to ensure that it is secret. The assistance shall be recorded in the Minutes.