Latvia's election week begins with confusion over who may drop the ballot into the box
As advance voting for Latvia's 15th Saeima elections began, some voters complained online that election staff, not they themselves, placed their sealed ballot envelope into the box. The Central Election Commission (CVK) says this follows official procedure, though voters may do it themselves if they ask.
Just as the week-long advance voting period for Latvia's parliamentary elections opened, a dispute broke out on social media over voting procedure. One voter wrote that after his ballot envelope was sealed, a polling station worker placed it into the ballot box instead of letting him do it himself. He questioned the logic behind the rule, comparing it to inconsistent restrictions during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Central Election Commission (CVK) responded publicly, explaining that this procedure is set out in the operating instructions for Saeima election district commissions. However, the CVK clarified that a voter who wishes to place the envelope into the box personally is entitled to do so, and asked the voter to specify which polling station was involved.
Other commenters reported mixed experiences: some said they were allowed to insert their own envelope, while others encountered the same restriction as the original poster. Some speculated the rule stems from this being a preliminary "deposit" of the vote rather than final casting, since voters can still change their choice before election day itself, though this explanation did not fully satisfy everyone.
Turnout so far
According to CVK data, 43,396 voters, or 2.79% of the 1,557,615 eligible voters, had cast ballots so far in the 15th Saeima elections. In Riga, 20,757 people, or 3.46%, had voted, including 4,907 people abroad who registered for postal voting. Among Latvia's regions, Vidzeme showed the highest turnout at 2.82%, while Latgale lagged at 1.85%. Among municipalities, Ādaži had the highest turnout at 5.2%, while Rēzekne municipality had the lowest at 1.31%.
A CVK representative said the voting system was operating smoothly, with most questions from polling stations concerning technical use of the system. Voters can deposit their ballots on any weekday this week at any of Latvia's 933 polling stations, a process that allows them to change their vote up until election day. The 15th Saeima elections will take place on Saturday.
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