15th Saeima elections: how, when and where to vote

Ahead of Latvia's 15th Saeima elections, the magazine Ir asked well-known public figures to explain why voting matters to them. The main election day is October 3.

Advance voting

Voters who cannot attend a polling station on election day, or who prefer to vote earlier, may cast their ballot for safekeeping at any polling station in Latvia during the five days before the election. Advance voting takes place on September 28 and 30 from 17:00 to 20:00, on September 29 and October 1 from 8:00 to 11:00, and on October 2 from 12:00 to 15:00.

Who can vote

Latvian citizens aged 18 and older are eligible to vote in Saeima elections. A valid passport or eID identity card must be presented when voting — without a valid document, voting is not possible.

Voting for those with health limitations

Voters who cannot reach a polling station due to their health condition, as well as their caregivers, may request to vote at their location — at home or in a care facility. The request can be submitted by the voter themselves, an authorized representative, or a guardian, in writing to the polling station commission during its working hours. If this isn't possible, the request may instead be submitted to the municipal election commission, which forwards it to the polling station commission chair no later than 12:00 on election day. Commission representatives then travel to the specified address with a portable ballot box.

Patients in hospitals also do not automatically lose the chance to vote. Some hospitals, such as Riga's Pauls Stradiņš Clinical University Hospital and Liepāja Regional Hospital, host designated polling stations. Patients able to move around the hospital can use these stations, while those who cannot are eligible for voting at their bedside via the portable ballot box.