Elections to renew Com.It.Es. (Comitati degli Italiani all’Estero, i.e. Committees of Italians Abroad) will be held this year. Italian citizens residing abroad who submit a request will be eligible to vote.
What are the elections for?
They are for the renewal of Com.It.Es. (Comitati degli Italiani all’Estero, i.e. Committees of Italians Abroad).
Established in 1985, Com.It.Es. are representative bodies of the Italian community abroad, directly elected by Italian citizens who have resided for at least six months within their respective consular district.
What do Com.It.Es. do?
They represent Italian citizens abroad in their dealings with Embassies and Consulates and foster their local integration.
They are also tasked with preserving the historical memory of Italian emigration and highlighting Italian contribution to the societies in which they operate.
How are they formed and who makes them up?
Com.It.Es. can be established in consular districts with more than 3,000 registered AIRE members. They consist of 12 members in communities with up to 100,000 registered Italian citizens, and 18 members in communities exceeding that threshold.
Committee members serve a five-year term.
Who can vote in the Com.It.Es. elections?
Italian citizens who have resided in the consular district for at least six months and have submitted a specific request to their Consulate to be included in the electoral roll.
How does voting work?
Voting for Com.It.Es. elections takes place by mail.
Ballots will be sent to the residential address of those who have requested to vote.
Subsequently, they must be mailed back to the Consular Section of the Embassy of Italy in Washington or to the voter’s local Consulate of reference, carefully following the instructions provided in the information sheet included in the election packet.
NOTE:
To facilitate the signing of electoral lists and the related authentication of signatures, interested parties may visit the Embassy of Italy in Washington during designated hours, starting August 18, 2026, from Monday to Friday, between 3:00 PM and 4:00 PM.
For further information, you may contact the Embassy at the dedicated email address: ambwashington.elettorale@esteri.it
For more information regarding the preparation of electoral lists, please visit this page (available in Italian only): COMITES 2026 – Preparation and submission of electoral lists – Embassy of Italy in Washington
For more information on how to request inclusion in the electoral roll, please visit this page (available in Italian only): COMITES 2026 – Procedures for requesting inclusion in the electoral roll
For more information about the elections, visit the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Farnesina) website at this link:
https://www.esteri.it/it/sala_stampa/archivionotizie/eventi/2026/07/elezionidei-comites-2026/
For more information on the role and activities of Com.It.Es., visit this page on the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Farnesina) website.
Last updated: August 25, 2026
