The government spent almost €3 million subsidising flights for overseas voters to return to Malta for the May general election, working out at roughly €1,949 for every passenger who travelled.According to Times of Malta, an Electoral Commission report shows that KM Malta Airlines charged €2,981,921 for the election flights, which carried 1,530 voters to Malta on a subsidised return fare of €90, including taxes.The largest group travelled from London, with 675 passengers, followed by 396 from Brussels and 134 from Amsterdam. Another 325 travelled from other cities served by the national airline.The almost €3 million flight bill was separate from the Electoral Commission’s own election expenditure, which totalled €8.2 million.That included €1.71 million for voting documents, €1.65 million in payments to electoral assistants and vote-counting personnel, and €1.13 million for contractual and professional services, hospitality and equipment. Another €550,783 was spent on transport.The cost of bringing voters back to Malta comes amid longstanding calls for Maltese citizens overseas to be able to vote without travelling home.In May, author and humanitarian worker Karl Schembri filed a judicial protest over the lack of overseas voting facilities, arguing that the current system has prevented him from voting in several elections while living abroad.A total of 312,129 votes were cast from an eligible electorate of 356,832 in May, giving a turnout of 87.5%.•