Recital (16)

In order to prevent multiple voting or instances where the same person would stand as a candidate more than once in the same elections, Member States should exchange information gathered from the formal declarations produced by Union voters and Union citizens entitled to stand as candidates. As Member States rely on different data to identify citizens, a common set of data should be envisaged in order to accurately identify Union voters and Union citizens entitled to stand as candidates and stop them from voting or standing as a candidate more than once. The personal data exchanged should be limited to the minimum necessary to achieve those purposes. Member States should supply the information sufficiently in advance of polling day. Member States should conduct the exchange of information in a way which does not create an unnecessary administrative burden for their competent authorities. Without prejudice to national provisions on the entry of voters on the electoral roll and the submission of candidacies, the Member State of residence should start supplying the available data no later than the date six weeks before that on which the electoral period begins. The data exchanged between Member States should be as accurate as possible, and Member States should be able to update it, having regard to national provisions on the entry of voters on the electoral roll and the submission of candidacies.