TEHRAN – The Interests Section of Iran in Washington, D.C., has set up 24 polling stations across the U.S. or Iranian expatriates to take part in the upcoming presidential election of Iran.
Director of Iran’s Interests Section in the U.S., Mahdi Atefat, told IRNA that Iranian expats residing in the United States can cast their ballots in the June 18 presidential election.
The number of polling stations has been increased from two regions in Washington, D.C. and New York to 24 areas in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Virginia, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Oklahoma, he said, adding that one or two polling places will be open in each of those states on Friday.
Atefat also said two polling stations will be available in Oregon and in Buffalo, New York State, to allow the Iranians in Canada to travel to those border cities.
Iranian expats in Canada, however, may have difficulty in crossing the border because of the coronavirus restrictions, he added.
The official said the polling stations for the Iranian presidential election will be open on Friday from 8 am to 5 pm local time in each state.
Six Iranian executive personnel will be stationed at every polling place, including one observer representing the Constitutional Council of Iran, he said.
Arrangements have been made to ensure the security of the polling stations with the assistance of Diplomatic Security Service and the local police, Atefat added.
Over 59 million people are eligible to vote in the 2021 presidential election on June 18. Esmaeil Mousavi, the spokesman of the Interior Ministry’s Election Committee, said that 59,310,307 Iranians can cast votes in the forthcoming presidential election.
More than 72,000 polling stations will be set up across the country, including mobile ones, according to Mousavi. He said except for Tehran, voting would be electronic in 24 provincial capitals, where no paper ballots or usual ballot boxes would be used.