More than 175,000 Poles have registered to vote abroad in Sunday's parliamentary election, including 68,000 in Britain and Ireland.
The number of overseas electors is well over three times as many as for the last ballot in 2005. It is still only a small proportion of the two million Poles thought to have emigrated to western Europe in search of work since Poland joined the European Union in 2004.
Fewer than 50,000 Poles registered to vote abroad in the last election. Of them, only around 35,000 actually voted. Emigrants could be a significant force in this election.
Opinion polls give a lead to the Civic Platform over the ruling Law and Justice party of Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski and his identical twin brother Lech, the president.
Ahead of the election, which was called two years early after the collapse of the prime minister's last coalition government, all three main parties have campaigned in Britain and Ireland.
On polling day, those who have registered are entitled to vote at three polling stations on Ailesbury Road, Ballsbridge in Dublin, Mary Street in Cork and George's Quay in Limerick city.
