A call to the Greeks of New York to take advantage of the opportunity of mail-in voting in the upcoming European elections was made by the Minister of Interior, Niki Kerameos, at a special informative event organized by the Consulate General of Greece in New York, in the “Petros Patrikis” hall in Astoria, on Wednesday evening (27/3).
Initially, the Consul General of Greece in New York, Dinos Konstantinou, greeted the audience, emphasizing the importance of establishing mail-in voting, which applies to all registered voters but is an exclusive option for residents abroad. He then highlighted that the Consulate General has established a special telephone line to provide assistance services in the registration process.
Archbishop Elpidophoros of America also attended the event.
Statements to ERT
Minister of Interior, Niki Kerameos
Many of these decisions are determined at the EU level. So, as soon as we had the major informative meeting in New York in Astoria, the new possibility was raised that now Greeks living abroad, as well as Greeks living within the country, must exercise their voting rights through mail-in voting.
It has been a demand of Greeks living abroad for decades to be able to vote from where they live, from where they work, without the need to travel, without the need to spend money.
So, we are in the process of communicating this new opportunity to Greeks all over the world.
I have visited several cities in the United States and Canada to convey the message regarding this new opportunity that Greek citizens have to exercise their voting rights through mail-in voting.
So, I think, you know, democracy is about participation. What we want to do as the Greek state is to facilitate the exercise of the voting right according to this new legislation.
The new legislation has nothing to do with granting the right to vote. The right to vote already exists for Greek citizens. It is about facilitating Greek citizens in exercising their voting rights. Look, I understand that we are talking about European elections and not national elections. So, this issue may seem distant to Greeks living in the States.
But I would like to emphasize that many decisions that concern daily life in Greece and our citizens here obviously have an interest in the homeland and Greece. Many of these decisions are determined at the EU level.
So, in Brussels, it is really important for Greeks living abroad to participate in these elections. And in any European elections. We consider it the duty of the Greek state to facilitate the exercise of the voting right as much as possible.
Consul General of Greece in New York, Dinos Konstantinou
It was our great pleasure to host today the Minister of Interior of Greece, Mrs. Kerameos, as part of a very extensive tour here in the United States of America, precisely to raise awareness among the Greek Diaspora, the Greek citizens abroad, to exercise their voting rights in the upcoming European elections.
I must say that this is a truly historic moment, a historic journey, as the request of our compatriots to vote has been around for about 40 years, so it is truly a unique opportunity to hear the voice of the Diaspora, to make a strong presence right here, in the cradle of Hellenism, in New York.
And for this reason, I invite all those who have the right to register on the mail-in voting platform, all Greek citizens, to do so, because this will give even greater voice to our Diaspora.
I want to emphasize here that the Consulate General will be a supporter, will be there for all those who either find it difficult to register on the platform or need some assistance, they can come to the Consulate. We have a special telephone line they can contact.
We have a dedicated staff member who will be able to provide them with this assistance from Monday to Friday, from 9 am to 2 pm, during public hours, and for any other issue they may face.
Regarding the process, we are here to assist them. I want to be clear and sincere. I will expect even greater response, because as I said, it is very important to make a strong presence in this process.
You know, we Greeks leave everything to the last-minute. The deadline for application submission is April 29th. We have exactly one month, which is four weeks.
I think it is quite a long period of time for 10,000 of our fellow citizens to register so that we can achieve the desired result. A big event, perhaps the most important event of the year, is the parade.
What better than having the entire community together on 5th Avenue on April 14th dressed in blue and white?
I think our Greek community here in New York always makes a strong presence. It is very important to have.
Archbishop of America, Elpidophoros
We are very happy and pleased with this new initiative of our homeland and generally anything that brings our compatriot abroad, the Greek outside of Greece, closer to the homeland, will find us as supporters.
Mail-in voting is a very good idea.
We hope it will be expanded to all elections in the future, and Greece will find us by its side, and in this case, to help inform the Greek, the faithful, who have the right to vote, how to register on the electoral rolls and participate in the common, in this case, the European Union.
Because these are the European elections, but also later in the national elections, and whatever happens in our Greece concerns us, interests us, and we want to have a say.
And it is fortunate that this possibility is now given to us, and every step towards this direction that will facilitate, it is welcome.
Greeks abroad feel very strongly about every national holiday and celebrate it in our own unique way. And on a local, national, and state level.
On the eve of the national holiday, I was in a community and went with all the children and all the faithful to the City Hall.
We met the Mayor of Stanford, met the local representative in the US Senate, and together we raised the Greek flag at the state buildings.
The next day, yesterday, I went to Albany, which is the capital of the State of New York, where the State Assembly and the Senate honored with specific resolutions and speeches the national holiday of Greece, inviting the Archbishop to offer the opening prayer in both bodies.
I think we are gradually celebrating.
Soon we are preparing for the grand reception at the White House for the Greek Independence Day and certainly, the highlight is the grand parade on 5th Avenue, where we invite all Greek men and Greek women and our children and all philhellenes to participate in this celebration of democracy and freedom.
