Election type

The Republic of Vanuatu, Representation of the People Act (1982, last amended in 2017), accessed 15 March 2020

Section 11 provides: “Registration of overseas voters

(1) A citizen who has attained 18 years but who is unable to apply to a registration officer in Vanuatu for registration in an electoral list by reason of being outside Vanuatu may apply to the Principal Electoral Officer by completing and submitting to the Officer the form contained in Part 3 of Schedule 1.

(2) Where the Principal Electoral Officer is satisfied that a citizen who has made an application under subsection (1) is resident overseas and is eligible for registration he shall register him in the overseas electoral list and inform him accordingly.

(3) The Principal Electoral Officer when he registers a person in accordance with subsection (2) shall register him in the part of the overseas electoral list relating to the constituency in which in his opinion he would have voted had he not been overseas.”

Referendum voting adopts the general election rules.  See Referendum Act 2004, Section 8(1):  “Application of the Representation of the People Act [...] (1) Subject to this Act, the Representation of the People Act [...] and the regulations under it, as adapted under subsection (4) apply in respect of a national referendum [...]”

Nothing else in the Referendum Act displaces the overseas voting rules (and there are no Referendum regulations).

There is no ‘sub-national’ government in Vanuatu, but there are both Local or Municipal Councils.

The Republic of Vanuatu, VEO, HOW TO VOTE, accessed 15 March 2020

“VOTING FROM ABROAD: The law allows for the EC, following a recommendation from the PEO and after consultations with the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to designate one or more polling stations in a foreign country. Voting from abroad is only valid for national elections. In 2016, there was only one polling station abroad, in Noumea (New Caledonia).”