More than 24 million euros for absentee ballot

For the three elections in 2023, which include two parliamentary elections and local elections, approximately 330 million euros were spent, as we mentioned in a previous investigation (“Golden” ballot boxes: Record expenditure of more than €330 million for all 2023 elections). The average cost was around 110 million euros per election.

However, for the upcoming European elections, this average is expected to be exceeded by at least 20-25%, as absentee voting will be used for the first time in Greece, allowing 202,556 citizens inside and outside the country to participate in the election of MEPs.

Relevant article:  “Golden” ballot boxes: Record expenditure of more than €330 million for all 2023 elections

The investigation by Data Journalists will try to answer the question of the cost of absentee voting, a new procedure for the country. The amount, a few days before the June 9 elections, already stands at 24 million euros and may increase. The “bill” has not yet been finalized because the process is still underway.

According to the official data already published by the Ministry of the Interior, the number of registrations for absentee voting has reached 202,556. Of these, 153,322 voters are residents in the country and 49,234 are residents abroad, the vast majority of whom are from European countries (41,640, or 84%).

The decision of the Ministry of the Interior of April 22, 2024, regarding the two contractors and a cost of up to 16.6 million euros for postal services.

Up to 16.6 million euros for postal services

As expected, the highest costs for absentee voting are related to postal services. On April 22, the decision of the Ministry of the Interior to award a contract for the implementation of postal services (sending, receiving and delivery of election materials to predetermined points) was published on “Diavgeia”.

Two companies, ELTA and ACS, submitted bids out of the three invited by the Ministry (the third being Geniki Taxydromiki). The decision states:

We hereby award the project for the provision of postal services, including the dispatch, receipt, and delivery of electoral material to predetermined points, for the implementation of the postal voting procedure for the European Elections on June 9, 2024, to the following companies.

To the company “Hellenic Post S.A.”, trading as “ELTA S.A.”, with its registered office in the Municipality of Athens, by its tender submitted through the National Electronic Public Procurement System with the ID 398781/18-04-2024.

To the company named “ACS Courier Services Single Member S.A. Commercial Company” with the trade name “ACS S.M.S.A.”, located in the municipality of Aigaleo, according to its offer through the National Electronic Public Procurement System with ID 398716/18-04-2024.

According to the same decision, “the expenses incurred for the related procurement will be charged to the credits of the regular budget of the Ministry of the Interior, the fiscal year 2024”, “the total cost for the implementation of the project will depend on the number of shipments required”, and the cost “in any case cannot exceed the amount of 13,400,000 euros plus 24% VAT, that is, 16,616,000 euros including VAT”.

As already reported in the Greek press, the cost of sending the special voting envelope by courier within Greek territory will be 12.40 euros, while the cost of receiving the return envelope for absentee voting will be 8.68 euros if it is collected from the contractor’s store, and 12.40 euros if the courier delivers it to the absentee voting collection point.

For voters outside the country, the cost of sending the special envelope is 34.72 euros if they are in European countries and 47.12 euros if they are in non-European countries. The cost of receiving the envelope is 27.28 euros if the voter is in Europe and 47.12 euros if they are outside Europe.

The companies that have competed for the 4 million euros for the information campaign on the postal vote are as follows

The campaign will cost 4 million euros

On February 28, 2024, the Ministry of the Interior decided to allocate a sum of around 4 million euros to the media for the advertising campaign on postal voting:

“SUBJECT: Contract for the implementation (communication planning – production of communication and printed materials – actions and services for the promotion of the information campaign) of the information campaign for voters residing inside and outside Greek territory on the possibility of exercising their voting rights by postal vote”.

Three companies submitted bids, with “Frank and Fame” coming out on top with a sum of 4.015 million euros, a difference of approximately 5-10,000 euros compared to the other two contenders for the job, ATTP Advertising and VIENT:

“We award the provision of services for the immediate implementation and launch of the information campaign for voters residing in Greece and abroad (CPV: 79341400-0 “Advertising Campaign Services”) to the company named “FRANK AND FAME ANONYMOUS ADVERTISING AND COMMUNICATION COMPANY”.

With 1.6 million euros to Singular Logic

On January 25, 2024, the Ministry of the Interior approved a credit commitment of 1,612,000 euros “for the payment of an equivalent expense charged to the budget credit of the Ministry of the Interior, special entity 1007 206, A.L.E. 2420903001, the fiscal year 2024, to cover the expenses for the provision of software development services for the implementation of absentee voting and support of the electoral process”.

The very next day, on January 26, 2024, a decision was issued by the Secretary General of the Ministry of the Interior, inviting the company “SINGULAR LOGIC ANONYMOUS INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND SOFTWARE APPLICATIONS COMPANY”, with the trade name “SINGULARLOGIC S.A. “, “to submit a financial offer through the National Electronic Public Procurement System (ID 332253) for the provision of software development services – expansion of the electronic portal for the registration of candidates in elections for the implementation of absentee voting and support of the electoral process”.

Data Journalists covered this issue in March (Singular Logic is also involved in the email leak).

Plus 246,000 euros for Peristeri

With a new decision on May 8, it was decided to also award Singular Logic the “procurement of equipment and IT services, including the support of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure at the Peristeri Exhibition Center, where the Postal Vote Collection Committees and the Postal Vote Sorting Committees will be housed, in preparation for the upcoming elections on June 9, 2024”. The expenses incurred amount to 246,292 euros, including VAT.

Direct award of 600,000 euros for “enveloping

On April 9 there was a “modification of the decision for the direct award for the implementation of the project for the provision of services for the design, printing and enveloping of electoral material for the European elections on June 9, 2024, for voters who choose to exercise their voting rights by postal vote”.

It states that the contract has been awarded to “PAPADOPOULOS INTEGRATED PRINT COMMUNICATION S.A.” with a proposed price of 497,000 euros plus 24% VAT. The total amount is 616,000 euros.

3 million for paper and envelopes, but not only for absentee voting

Logically, some supplies, such as ballot papers, are not only for postal voting but for the European elections as a whole. On April 12, 2024, the Ministry of the Interior approved an expenditure of 2.94 million euros from its budget “for the procurement of 48,000 reams of ballot papers, with the possibility of increasing the quantity by 10%, for the conduct of the European elections on June 9, 2024”. Proportionally, part of this cost relates to postal voting.

The same applies to purchasing 11 million ballot envelopes for 261,888 euros, including 24% VAT.

For stationery and stamps

On May 8, the three contractors were announced for the “direct contract for the purchase of stationery, stamps and accreditation cards for the operational needs of the postal vote collection committees and the postal vote sorting committees” for an amount of 8,300 euros.

   The decision of April 30, 2024, on the special electoral compensation for postal voting

The Election Committee and the Judicial Staff

The decision of April 30, 2024, established the “special electoral compensation for the General Supervisor of the Postal Voting Process, the Deputy General Supervisor, the Presidents of the Postal Vote Collection Committees, their deputies, the regular and substitute members of the Postal Vote Collection Committees, as well as the judicial officers who assist the General Supervisor and possibly support the work of the Committees, for their extraordinary work during the preparation and conduct of the elections”.

Specifically:

1. a) The General Overseer shall receive an indemnity of 4,000 euros.
2. b) The Deputy General Overseer shall receive an indemnity of 3,500 euros.
3. c) The Presidents of the Postal Vote Collection Committees shall receive an indemnity of 3,000 euros.
4. d) The Vice-Presidents of the Postal Vote Collection Committees shall receive an indemnity of 2,400 euros.
5. e) The full members of the Postal Vote Collection Committees shall receive an indemnity of 2,400 euros.
6. f) The alternate members of the Postal Vote Collection Committees shall receive an indemnity of 1,000 euros.
7. g) The judicial officers who assist the work of the Postal Vote Collection Committees and the General Overseer shall receive an indemnity of 1,150 euros.

It is noted that “the issuance of this decision will entail expenses to be charged to the budget of the Ministry of the Interior, up to a maximum of 296,800 euros”.