From Toronto and Ottawa to Chicago, Washington and Miami, Serbian communities across North America are opening their homes and organizing rides to help citizens travel hundreds or even thousands of miles to vote in Serbia’s parliamentary elections. A volunteer platform, VoteBnB, is connecting voters with hosts offering free accommodation.
Serbian communities across the United States and Canada are mobilizing to help fellow citizens exercise their right to vote in Serbia’s parliamentary elections on Sunday, October 25, 2026.
Because polling stations abroad are limited, many registered voters face long journeys to reach the nearest voting location. Some must travel hundreds of miles by car, while others are planning flights and overnight stays.
One of the main initiatives is VoteBnB, a volunteer-run platform that connects voters in need of accommodation with people willing to offer a free bed, couch or room. The service also helps connect travelers with drivers who have available seats in their vehicles.
According to the report, more than 1,000 overnight accommodation places had been offered through the initiative in the week leading up to the election.
The campaign has turned voting into a community effort, with Serbian expatriates helping one another overcome logistical and financial obstacles to participation.
Canada: Toronto and Ottawa Become Voting Hubs
In Canada, Serbian citizens will be able to vote in Toronto and Ottawa.
Toronto has registered 2,445 voters, approximately seven times the number recorded for the 2023 parliamentary elections. Ottawa has 307 registered voters.
Marina Mandić, from Toronto, will not be able to vote herself because her renewed identification documents did not arrive in time. Nevertheless, she has offered to host five people traveling from Vancouver and elsewhere in British Columbia so they can cast their ballots.
Her decision reflects the spirit of the initiative: even people who cannot participate in the election themselves are finding ways to help others do so.
For voters traveling from western Canada, the distances can be substantial, making overnight accommodation particularly important.
United States: Thousands Prepare to Travel
In the United States, polling stations will operate in Washington, Chicago, New York and Los Angeles.
A total of 5,750 voters have registered to vote in the United States, five times the number recorded for the 2023 elections, according to the figures cited in the report.
Maja Živković Savić, from Washington, has offered to host a couple traveling with their two children from Pittsburgh, approximately 400 kilometers away.
Ksenija Krsmanović, from New York, is also providing accommodation to voters. Her decision was influenced by her own experience during a previous election, when she was unable to vote because there was no polling station close to Seattle.
Maja, from Miami, plans to fly to Washington and stay with a host found through the platform so she can cast her ballot.
These examples illustrate the scale of the logistical challenges facing Serbian voters in North America, where a single polling location may serve citizens spread across a vast geographic area.
How VoteBnB Connects Voters and Hosts
VoteBnB was created to help Serbian citizens overcome the practical difficulties of voting abroad.
The platform allows people traveling to vote to request accommodation or transportation, while residents of cities with polling stations can offer spare beds, couches or available seats in their cars.
The service is free and volunteer-run. Its purpose is to make it easier for registered voters to reach polling stations, particularly when travel requires arriving the day before voting.
The initiative is part of a broader wave of diaspora engagement ahead of the October 25 election, with volunteers using online networks and local Serbian communities to coordinate assistance.
More Than 102,000 Voters Registered Abroad
According to figures reported by Serbian media and the Republic Electoral Commission, 102,147 voters registered to vote abroad at 93 polling stations for the October 25 parliamentary elections.
That is approximately 2.6 times the 39,270 voters registered abroad for the 2023 parliamentary elections.
The United States accounts for 5,750 registered voters, while Germany and Bosnia and Herzegovina have the largest numbers of registered voters abroad overall.
Despite the increased demand, not every city with a sizable Serbian population has a polling station.
Serbia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has explained that the number of registered voters is not the only criterion when determining where polling stations can be opened. Authorities also consider distance, security, access to diplomatic and consular facilities, and available staffing.
For many members of the diaspora, those decisions determine whether voting requires a short local trip or an expensive journey involving flights, long drives and overnight accommodation.
A Community Effort to Make Every Vote Count
The mobilization demonstrates how Serbian communities in North America are responding to the challenge through practical cooperation.
Hosts are opening their homes, drivers are offering rides, and travelers are coordinating journeys to help one another reach polling stations.
For citizens who have spent years living abroad but remain connected to Serbia, participating in elections can be an important way to maintain their ties to their homeland.
With election day approaching, VoteBnB and the volunteers supporting it are working to ensure that distance does not automatically prevent registered voters from casting their ballots.
For many Serbian voters in North America, this election is becoming more than a journey to the polls. It is an example of a diaspora community coming together to help its members participate in the democratic process.
