Editing Elections in Lithuania (section)

=== Election process and eligibility ===

Lithuania joined the [[European Union]] in 2004. In the same year, the first election took place for 13 seats in the [[European Parliament]] allocated to Lithuania. As of 2014, the number of seats allocated to Lithuania was 11,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.europarl.europa.eu/us/en/elections_2014.html |title=European Parliament 2014 |publisher=European Parliament Liaison Office with U.S. Congress |access-date=31 July 2015}}</ref> down from 12 in 2009. Members of the parliament are elected by proportional representation for a five-year term.<ref name="EuropeanLaw">{{cite web |url=http://www3.lrs.lt/pls/inter3/dokpaieska.showdoc_l?p_id=1044648 |title=Law on elections to the European Parliament |publisher=The Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania |access-date=31 July 2015}}</ref>

Ordinary elections take place on a Sunday on the same day as in other EU countries. Early voting is available during Wednesday and Thursday before the election. Mail-in voting and at-home voting is available for eligible voters. The vote is open to all citizens of Lithuania, as well as citizens of other EU countries that permanently reside in Lithuania, who are at least 18 years old on the election day.<ref name="EuropeanLaw" />

To be eligible for election, candidates must be at least 21 years old on the election day, citizen of Lithuania or citizen of another EU country permanently residing in Lithuania. Candidates are not allowed to stand for election in more than one country. Persons serving or due to serve a sentence imposed by the court 65 days before the election are not eligible. Also, judges, citizens performing military service, and servicemen of professional military service and officials of statutory institutions and establishments may not stand for election.<ref name="EuropeanLaw" />

The seats are allocated to the participating political parties or lists proportionally to the share of vote received. Parties or lists receiving less than 5% of the vote are not eligible to receive any seats, unless the remaining eligible parties received less than 60% of the vote.<ref name="EuropeanLaw" />

Candidates take the seats allocated to their parties based on the preference lists submitted before the election. The preference lists are adjusted by preference votes given by the voters.