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Confirmatory Constitutional Referendum on March 22nd and 23rd 2026 - All Information
- Tyler Zemantic
- 6 days ago
- 4 min read
OPTION FOR VOTERS TEMPORARILY ABROAD
January 26, 2026
By decree of the President of the Republic of 13/01/2026, published in the Official Journal of 14/01/2026 , the date of the referendum pursuant to art. 138 of the Constitution for the amendment of certain articles of the Constitution (the so-called "Justice Reform") was set for 22 and 23 MARCH 2026 .
Voters resident in Italy who are temporarily abroad for work, study, or medical reasons for a period of at least three months, which includes the date of the next referendum pursuant to art. 138 of the Constitution ( 22 and 23 March 2026 ), as well as their family members living with them , may exercise the right to vote by correspondence pursuant to art. 4-bis, paragraph 1, of Law no. 459 of 27 December 2001.
To receive the electoral package (containing the voting card) at their temporary residence address abroad , the above-mentioned voters must send a specific option DIRECTLY to their municipality where they are registered on the electoral rolls by Wednesday 18 February 2026 .
The option (exercisable using the attached form or on plain paper) must be sent to the Municipality where the person is registered on the electoral rolls by mail, regular mail, or certified email. Alternatively, it can be submitted in person, even by a person authorized by the interested party.
The option, which must be accompanied by a copy of the voter's valid ID, must in any case include the voter's complete postal address abroad to which the electoral package will be sent, as well as the name of the competent consular office for the area. It must also include a declaration certifying that the voter meets the requirements for voting by mail, namely, being temporarily in a foreign country where they are not registered residents for work, study, or medical reasons for a period of at least three months (including the date of the election), or being a cohabiting family member of a citizen who meets the aforementioned requirements. This procedure also applies to Italian citizens registered with AIRE temporarily residing in a consular district other than their permanent residence.
The option must be made pursuant to Articles 46 and 47 of Presidential Decree No. 445 of December 28, 2000 (Consolidated Law on Legislative and Regulatory Provisions Regarding Administrative Documentation), declaring awareness of the criminal consequences of making false declarations (Article 76 of the aforementioned Presidential Decree 445/2000).
It is possible to revoke the option submitted according to the procedures above within the same deadline ( 18 February 2026 ). Finally, please remember that the option is valid exclusively for the electoral consultation to which it refers.
January 16, 2026
Mail-in voting for Italian citizens abroadand the option to vote in Italy
By decree of the President of the Republic of January 13, 2026, published in the Official Journal of January 14, 2026, the date of the referendum pursuant to art. 138 of the Constitution for the amendment of certain articles of the Constitution (the so-called "Justice Reform") was set for March 22 and 23, 2026 .
Please remember that VOTING is a RIGHT protected by the Italian Constitution and that, pursuant to Law No. 459 of 27 December 2001, Italian citizens residing or temporarily abroad who are registered on the electoral rolls can VOTE BY MAIL , receiving the electoral package at their residential address. To this end, we recommend checking and, if necessary, immediately regularizing your personal details and address at the relevant consular office (please note that by law, electoral packages must be mailed approximately one month before the election date in Italy), preferably using the Fast It online consular services portal.
As an alternative to voting by mail, voters registered with AIRE can choose to vote in Italy at their municipality of electoral registration , communicating their choice (OPTION) in writing to the Consulate within 10 days of the announcement of the referendum . The choice (option) to vote in Italy is valid only for the referendum for which it is expressed.
The OPTION must reach the Consular Office no later than ten days after the date of the consultation, i.e. BY 01/24/2026.
For this communication you can use the specific form downloadable here .
The form, completed, signed and accompanied by a copy of an identity document, can be delivered by hand or sent by regular mail ( Consulate General of Italy in New York, 690 Park Avenue, 10065, NY) , by email ( anagrafe.newyork@esteri.it) or by certified email ( con.newyork.anagrafe@cert.esteri.it) .
The option communication can also be written on plain paper; in any case, to be valid, it must contain the voter's name, surname, date and place of birth, place of residence, and signature . It must be sent along with a copy of the declarant's identity document.
Current legislation requires voters to verify that the mailed option notification has been received in a timely manner by their consular office. Requests received after the above deadline will NOT be considered valid.
The choice to vote in Italy can subsequently be REVOKED with a written communication to be sent or delivered to the Consular Office using the same methods and by the same date set for exercising the option.
The law does NOT provide any type of reimbursement for travel expenses incurred to return to Italy for the vote, but only tariff discounts within Italy.
FOR ANY FURTHER CLARIFICATIONS, PLEASE CONTACT:
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