Riga, June 5, LETA. Voting in the municipal elections began on Saturday at 7 a.m. and all 755 on-site polling stations will be open until 8 p.m.
118,752 voters or 12.31% of the total number of eligible voters took part in the municipal elections in the previous three voting days, according to the information compiled by the Central Election Commission (CKV) after data collection in all polling stations.
The highest turnout in the previous voting was in Vidzeme, where 53,598 voters or 13.56% of the number of eligible voters in the constituency had voted in three days.
The second area where voter turnout was higher is Latgale. 22,523 voters, or 12.81% of voters, voted here in three days.
In Kurzeme, 20,607 voters had gone to the polls, which is 11.21% of the eligible voters. But the poorest were the voters in Zemgale, where currently 22,024 voters voted, or 10.51% of the number of eligible voters in this area.
Also, compared to the previous municipal elections, the turnout in the previous voting has increased, according to the information compiled by the Central Election Commission.
For comparison, in the previous local government elections in 2017, 98,481 residents or 9.97% of eligible voters had voted in the local governments belonging to the same constituencies on the two previous voting days. At the same time, it should be taken into account that, unlike the previous elections, this year there is more time for advance voting, as well as no previous voting took place in Madona region on 31 May.
As Laura Zaharova, a representative of the Central Election Commission (CEC), informed LETA, the elections will take place in 40 municipalities or constituencies – in six non-county cities and 34 counties where 664 deputies must be elected.
For example, the newly formed South Kurzeme region is one constituency, and the voters of this region can vote at any polling station within the constituency.
There will be no elections in Riga municipality this year, because the council was elected in extraordinary elections last year. Also, the elections will not take place in Rēzekne municipality and Varakļāni municipality, where they have been suspended in connection with the ST judgment, which cancels the addition of Varakļāni to Rēzekne municipality.
To reduce the risk of spreading the Covid-19 virus, voters will have to follow safety precautions at ballot stations, keeping a distance of two meters, disinfecting their hands, wearing a face mask and using their own pen. If the voter does not have them with them, then the disposable face mask and pen will be available at the polling station. The CEC states that the voter will have to reveal his or her face for a while by presenting a passport or identity card.
With regard to the use of the mask, the exception will be persons with obvious movement disorders or mental health disorders due to which the person lacks the ability or skills to use the mouth and nose mask, as well as children of voters under the age of seven.
The polling station will, as far as possible, provide a distance of at least two meters between voter registration desks, polling booths and screenings, as well as set a maximum number of visitors at the polling station, allocating an area of four square meters per voter. If there is a queue at the polling station, voters are invited to stand in the queue outside the polling station in the fresh air to reduce the risk of developing Covid-19.
In order for a voter to be able to vote, he or she must present a passport or identity card as a voting document. A voter can vote at any polling station in a particular municipality and this will be provided through an electronic online register.
When registering voters in the electronic online register, a polling station employee will scan the barcode or QR code of a voter’s passport or identity card with a smart device at the polling station and make sure that the voter is included in the local government voter list and does not have a record in the voter register. In the system, the voter will be marked in the electronic voter list, while the polling station employee will additionally enter the information about the voter in the paper voter list, where the voter will have to sign for the receipt of ballot envelopes and ballot papers.
Upon receipt of the ballot paper, the CEC advises voters to check that the ballot paper contains the stamp of the relevant polling station and that all the stamps of the lists of candidates registered in the relevant constituency have been issued. Unlike the previous municipal elections, this year the number of the list of candidates, which was determined by lot, will be printed on the ballot papers.
The ballot paper may be left unchanged or marked with a plus for candidates whose election the voter specifically supports and those whose election is not supported may be crossed out.
Citizens of Latvia and European Union member states from the age of 18 who were registered at the place of residence in the administrative territory of the respective local government at least 90 days before the election day (March 7) have the right to participate in local elections. Those who have already registered as owners of real estate owned by the respective municipality will also be able to vote.
Every voter can find out the polling stations of their municipality or constituency on the CVK website “www.cvk.lv” in the section “Polling stations”, the CVK representative indicates. In turn, it is possible to find out your constituency in the e-service of the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (OCMA) “Clarification of the constituency”. Inquiries about polling stations and the constituency in which the voter is registered to vote can also be obtained by calling the CVK reference telephone.
CVK reference phone 67049999 is open today until 24.00.
Voters should preferably register to vote at their location by 12 noon if they are unable to get to the polling station due to ill health and will be in their constituency during the election. Voters in self-isolation or quarantine in connection with Covid-19 and carers of the sick may also apply to vote at their location.
It is also possible to apply for a vote at the voter’s location after 12 noon, but it should be taken into account that in this case the election commission will leave for the voter if he or she is able to arrive at the voter’s location before the end of voting. 20.
Voting at the location is possible at polling stations. On the other hand, if it is possible to sign the application with a secure electronic signature or send it by post, it can also be submitted to the municipal election commission. The trustee may also complete and submit the application on behalf of the voter.
Voters can find the submitted lists of candidates, pre-election programs and information about the candidates on the CEC website “https://pv2021.cvk.lv”.
No stamp will be affixed to the passport in the elections, and an electronic online voter register will be used to ensure the “one voter – one vote” principle.
The CEC also explains that if, for some technical reason, it is not possible to use the online voter register, voters will be able to vote in the registration envelope. The voter will be registered in a separate voter list, where the voter will sign for the receipt of voting materials. Along with the ballot envelope and badges, the voter will be issued another envelope – a registration envelope with the voter’s name, surname and personal identification code. Once the election has been made, the voter will be required to place an anonymous ballot envelope with the ballot in the registration envelope. The registration envelope will have to be handed over to the polling station employee at the ballot box, who will stamp it with the polling station seal and throw it in the ballot box, explains CVK.
As the online voter register resumes operation, the election commission will check whether the voter has the right to vote in the relevant constituency and whether the vote has not already been registered at another polling station. The voter register will note that the voter has voted in the relevant polling station, the voter list will note that the vote is valid and it will be added. If the voter has voted in another polling station in the meantime, the vote will be canceled and will not be counted.
In order to be able to carry out an epidemiological inquiry, if necessary, and to alert voters who may have been in contact with a Covid-19-infected person when registering voters at polling stations, the time of filling in the voter list form will be indicated.
In preparation for the elections, health experts have been advised not to use polling booths with cloth curtains, as the curtains are a surface that is touched by a large number of people during the elections and cannot be properly disinfected. Therefore, the secrecy of the vote in this case is intended to be ensured by arranging the booths and screens with the entrance against the wall or against the closed part of the adjacent booth or screen.
The CEC points out that the State Security Service must be reported to the State Security Service by illegally influencing the will of the voters, including the purchase of votes, as well as deliberately incorrect counting of votes by calling 67208964 or writing an e-mail to “[email protected]”. If possible, the violation should be documented by recording, photographing or filming it.
The chairman of the relevant polling station commission must be informed about the violation of campaigning in the polling station or 50 m from the entrance to the polling station, CVK explains.
Today, it is also forbidden to place pre-election campaign materials on television, radio, in the press, in the environment, as well as to place pre-election campaign materials on the Internet.
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