According to media reports, people who turn 18 in 2015 will not have enough time to register for the January 25 elections. This could impact the results as polls show that younger voters are more likely to vote for the main opposition party Syriza

Some 100 thousand 18-year-olds will not vote in the January 25 elections as authorities do not have enough time to include them on electoral rolls, the Kathimerini (link in Greek) newspaper reported.

In theory, people born in 1997 can vote as they get voting rights at the beginning of 2015, but  they will not have enough time to register to vote.

Kathimerini said this obstacle can yet be overcome as birth registrations are now electronic and people who turn 18 in 2015 are automatically included in electoral rolls and thus do not need to apply for their inclusion.  “But for this to happen a special provision from the ministry of interior is needed,” the paper said.

This could impact the election results as polls show that younger voters are more likely to vote for the main opposition and anti-bailout party Syriza. In last year’s European parliament elections (link in Greek) 39.5% of people aged between 18 and 24 voted for Syriza as opposed to 10.5% that voted for New Democracy.

Thousands of voters who live outside their constituencies will also have problems casting their ballot at their current place of residence as they should have submitted their application to vote on October 31, 2014.

Electoral rolls are updated every two months and those that want to vote at their place of residence should have applied by the end of the year. But even for those that did so, there still won’t be enough time to be included in the electoral roll for January 25, Kathimerini said.

Ministry officials say that people who want to vote in their place of residence , in case of a repeat election after January 25, should apply to do so over the next few days  
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These obstacles could lead to higher abstentions rates as older voters find it difficult to travel to their polling stations, especially during winter months

There are currently 110 thousand voters who live outside their constituencies.