Eva says she's never skipped a Polish election. She's been living in Germany for 40 years, she has a German passport, and she still takes part in every election in Poland.

She first came to Germany as a Polish refugee and still has family there. Between 2015 and 2023, when the right-wing nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party was in power, she saw herself as fighting for democracy and the rule of law in Poland.

Some 2 million people with Polish roots live in Germany. At least 850,000 of them only have Polish citizenship. Anyone with a Polish passport is eligible to take part in Poland‘s elections, but only an estimated 80,000 Poles in Germany made use of this right in the first election round that took place two weeks ago.

To make use of their voting right, Polish citizens living abroad need to register with the appropriate consulate, where they must show a valid Polish ID or passport. But many Polish migrants in Germany don't have one, and the long journey to the nearest election booth can be daunting. All told, there are 54 election circuits in Germany located in large cities such as Hamburg, Berlin, Cologne, Munich, or Dortmund. That means that many Poles wanting to cast their votes have to travel 200 kilometers (124 miles) or more. There are no absentee ballots.

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"To me, voting is a duty that I am happy to fulfill," Eva says. That's why she's joining 112,000 other Poles in Germany as they cast their votes in the upcoming presidential runoff, slated for June 1.

By May 27, a quarter more had signed up for this round than had for the last. That's a new record.

The results from the first presidential election indicate that Poles in Germany have different voting preferences than their fellow citizens........

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