Published: 20.03.2023.

APPROVED BY

Decision No. 21 of the Central Election Commission

of 7 July 2022

Operating instruction of the polling station commission

during the election of the Saeima

  1. The polling station commission (hereinafter referred to as - the polling station commission) begins its activity in the organization of elections with its establishment and is organized in accordance with the procedure specified in the Law on the Election of the Saeima, the Law on Local Government Election Commissions and Polling Station Commissions, and the instructions of the Central Election Commission.
  2. The working hours of polling stations before the general election day are as follows:
    • on the fifth day before the general election day (Monday) - from 17.00 to 20.00,
    • on the fourth day before the general election day (Tuesday) - from 8.00 to 11.00,
    • on the third day before the general election day (Wednesday) - from 17.00 to 20.00,
    • on the second day before the general election day (Thursday) - from 9.00 to 12.00,
    • the day before the general election day (Friday) - from 10.00 to 16.00.
  3. Notifications about the location and working hours of the polling stations shall be posted by the municipal election commission no later than ten days before the elections:
    1. at the relevant municipal council building (or at the place of provision of information);
    2. at the building where the election commission is located, if its location is not in the municipal council building;
    3. at the buildings where the polling stations are located.
      This information is also posted on the website of the municipal council (indicating the relevant section of the address of the website of the Central Election Commission).
  4. Local government election commissions, in whose administrative territory the polling stations have been established, announce the addresses and working hours of the polling stations no later than 15 days before the election day.
  5. Local government election commissions ensure that the premises of the polling station commissions are properly furnished and equipped with all the necessary equipment for secret voting:
    1. separate voting compartments or screens are prepared, which are placed in a way that the voter is completely covered when filling in the ballot paper;
    2. ballot boxes, which must be tightly closed, with a slit at the top and an opening lid. The lid of the box must be in a way that it can be fixed with security seals.
  6. The chairman of the polling station commission is responsible for the work of the polling station commission, the training of members of the polling station commission (introduction with the relevant regulatory enactments and responsibility for their violation) and briefings (on work safety, personal data processing and security, fire safety), the course of the voting process in accordance with the regulatory enactments, correct calculation of voting results and preservation of material values transferred at the disposal of the polling station commission. The chairman of the polling station commission, starting from receipt of election materials at the polling station until handing them over to the municipal election commission after the elections, is obliged to store them in the building where the polling station is located, ensuring physical or technical security of the relevant premises .
  7. The secretary of the polling station commission is responsible for the documentation of the polling station commission.
  8. A member of the polling station commission performs the duties assigned to him/her by the chairman of the polling station commission.
  9. If necessary, the election commission, in accordance with Section 22 of the Law on Local Government Election Commissions and Polling Station Commissions, invites specialists from among the voters (hereinafter referred to as - the contractors) to ensure the voting process and vote counting.
  10. The contractors shall meet the requirements of Section 6 of the Law on Local Government Election Commissions and Polling Station Commissions, and they can start work if an agreement has been concluded with the chairman of the relevant local government election commission, which defines their rights and obligations, as well as remuneration within the budget. The contractor can be assigned to perform any function of a member of the commission, except for participation in decision-making and replacing the chairman or secretary of the commission.
  11. The chairman of the polling station commission is responsible for ensuring that the contractor complies with the laws and regulations and accurately performs the assigned duties.
  12. Starting as of the fifth day before the election day:
    1. the secretary of the polling station commission fills in the election log in the application of the Central Election Commission (hereinafter - the application), indicating the information provided for in it regarding the organization of the election process before the election day;
    2. the polling station commission shall:
    3. make sure that a notice about the working hours and location of the commission is posted in a visible place;
    4. if necessary, place the signs on how to find the premises of the polling station and in cases where another entrance to the premises is provided for people with disabilities, place additional signs;
    5. ensure that pre-election programs, all lists of candidates registered in the electoral district and information on parliamentary candidates specified in the Law on the Election of the Saeima are available to voters at the polling station;
    6. accept written submissions on the organization of voting for the voters mentioned in Paragraph 44, check and register them in accordance with the procedure specified in Paragraphs 45-50.
  13. The municipal election commission distributes ballot envelopes to polling station commissions, leaving a reserve for unforeseen needs. After receiving the election envelopes from the municipal ballot commission, the polling station commission stamps all of them with the seal of the polling station commission and:
    1. checks that all ballot envelopes are sealed;
    2. counts all ballot envelopes.
      Ballot envelopes shall be checked and counted at least twice, and each time it shall be done by a different member of the polling station commission.
      Entries shall be made in the election log (column B1) about the number of sealed ballot envelopes, indicating the names and surnames of the members of the polling station commission, who sealed, checked and counted them.
  14. The polling station commission makes sure that it has access to the electronic online voter register (hereinafter - the voter register) and the required number of smart devices.
  1. On the election day, before the opening of the polling station, the polling station commission prepares the station for work:
    1. checks whether the voter's register, smart devices and internet connection of appropriate quality are available at the station;
    2. set up separate rooms, voting compartments or screens where the voter can choose the list of supported candidates alone. Voting compartments and screens must be placed in such a way that the voter is covered when filling in the ballot paper;
    3. makes sure that the election premises have all the necessary election materials;
    4. prepares sets of ballot papers in a numbered order;
    5. issues numbered voter list forms and a certain number of ballot envelopes to members of the polling station commission. Envelopes shall be counted at least twice. The numbers of the voter list forms issued to each member of the polling station commission and the number of ballot envelopes are recorded in the election log;
    6. checks whether there are no campaigning materials placed in the election premises and closer than fifty meters from the entrance to the building where the polling station is located and that no campaigning is taking place;
    7. ensures that the ballots of all candidate lists are freely available to voters at the exit from the polling station;
    8. makes sure that the ballot boxes comply with the requirements specified in Paragraph 5.2 of these instructions.
  2. On election day, the polling station commission opens polling stations and admits voters from 7:00 to 20:00 o’clock.
  3. Without interfering with the work of the polling station commission, no more than two authorized observers from each list of candidates registered in the respective electoral district (hereinafter referred to as - an observer), as well as members of the Central Election Commission and the relevant municipal election commission and authorized persons of these commissions, representatives of the media can observe the election process in the polling station at the same time.
    A deputy candidate cannot be an observer.
  4. Upon arrival at the polling station commission, the persons referred to in Paragraph 17 must present a personal identity document to the chairman of the polling station commission and register:
    1. the observer submits to the polling station commission a certified authorization from the board of the political party or their association with the signature of the person giving the authorization (hereinafter referred to as - the authorization), indicating the name of the political party or their association, the date of preparation of the document, the name, and personal identity number of the authorized person;
    2. the authorized person of the election commission presents the authorization of the relevant commission;
    3. a member of the election commission presents a certificate of the member of the election commission;
    4. representatives of the media present a document certifying their representation.
  5. Upon arrival at the polling station, the authorized person hands over the authorization to the station commission and in return receives a certificate of an observer. When leaving the polling station, the certificate of the observer must be handed over to the station commission, receiving an authorisation in return.
  6. After the opening of the polling station at 7:00 o’clock, the chairman or the secretary of the polling station commission, in the presence of the commission, makes sure that the ballot boxes, where the ballots are to be dropped, are empty. The opening part of the ballot box is then secured with numbered security seals. The chairman of the polling station commission provides the observers present with the opportunity to check and write down or photograph the seal numbers of the relevant ballot box.
  7. After sealing the ballot box, the polling station commission immediately reports in the application that the polling station has started to work.
  8. After opening the polling station, the secretary of the polling station commission continues to fill in the election log, making marks in it:
    1. on sealing of the ballot box, specifying the security seal numbers;
    2. about re-issued ballot envelopes;
    3. about ballot envelopes issued for voting at the voter's location;
    4. about left over and damaged ballot envelopes for voting at the voter's location;
    5. about complaints of voters regarding the course of elections and the answers provided;
    6. about the instructions received from the relevant municipal election commission or the Central Election Commission;
    7. about all incidents, disturbances and the decisions made in relation to them;
    8. about observers, indicating the name of the authorized person (party or their association, election commission), name and surname of the observer, time of arrival and departure;
    9. about all cases when voters voted in registration envelopes;
    10. about other activities related to the election process.
  9. At the entrance to the polling station, a member of the polling station commission checks the presented personal identity document (passport or an identity card of the citizen of Latvia) to make sure if the persons present are voters, and checks whether the document has not expired.
  10. A voter can only vote in person, except for the provisions of Paragraph 31.
  11. Before issuing election materials, the member of the polling station commission reads the bar code or square code of the identity document with a smart device or writes the voter's personal code in the voter register and makes sure that the person is a voter and there is no mark in the voter register that the voter has already voted on the election day.
  12. If there is no mark in the voter's register that the voter has already voted on the election day, the member of the polling station commission makes a mark in the voter's register about the voter's participation in the election and writes the voter's name, surname and personal identity number in the voter list form. The voter signs in the voter's list for receipt of the ballot envelope and ballots of all candidate lists. The member of the polling station commission hides the data of other voters in the voter list as much as possible.
  13. If there is a mark in the voter register that the voter has already voted on the election day, but he/she denies it, the polling station commission contacts the commission of the polling station where the voter voted according to information in the voter register, and finds out whether the voter list of that polling station contains a signature of the voter. If confirmation is received that there is no signature, the voter can vote. If there is a signature, the polling station commission refuses the voter to vote.
  14. If there is a mark in the voters register that the voter has applied for voting by post or has cast a vote, the voter can vote in accordance with the procedure specified in this instruction.
  15. If it is not possible to make sure that the information about the person is included in the voters register and a mark has not already been made therein on the participation of the person in the relevant elections, the polling station commission shall:
    1. immediately inform the relevant municipal election commission and the Central Election Commission about it and prepare a separate ballot box for voting with registration envelopes in accordance with the procedure specified in Paragraph 20;
    2. register the voter in a separate voter list for voting with registration envelopes, in addition to other election materials (Paragraph 32) a registration envelope shall be issued to the voter, where the polling station committee indicates the name, surname and serial number of the voter in the voter list for voting with registration envelopes (consisting of the voter list page number and of the voter's serial number on this page, for example 9/24). After the voter has made his/her choice in accordance with the procedure specified in Paragraphs 33 and 34, he/she places the sealed ballot envelope in the registration envelope, seals it and hands it to the member of the polling station commission who monitors the ballot box, who shall stamp the registration envelope with the stamp of the polling station commission and drops it in the election box for voting with registration envelopes.
  16. When it is again possible to make sure that the information about the person is included in the voter register and that there has not been a mark already made on that person's participation in the election, the members of the polling station commission assigned for it, without disturbing the voting process, shall check the information about those who have voted in the voter register on the basis of the voter lists for voting with registration envelopes, where they shall also make a note about the voter's participation in the election, and note in the voter lists for voting with registration envelopes, whether the person's vote is counted.
  17. Together with the voter, who cannot make marks on the ballot paper or sign the voter's list by himself/herself due to physical disabilities, a member of his/her family or another person, to whom the voter trusts, is admitted. The polling station commission records in the election log the name, surname and personal identity number of the relevant person or (if the relevant person is not registered in the Register of Natural Persons) the name, issuing authority and number of the personal identity document, as well as the name and surname of the voter, on whose behalf the relevant person makes a mark or signs. This person shall not be a member or contractor of the relevant polling station commission. According to the voter's instructions, the trustee signs the voter list and makes marks on the ballot paper.
  18. Each voter receives from the polling station commission a set of ballots and a ballot envelope stamped with the seal of the relevant polling station commission, and signs for their receipt in the voter list. Everyone can vote only once.
  19. In a separate room or compartment, the voter chooses one ballot paper alone, in which he/she can at his/her own will:
    1. put a "+" in the space provided for the candidate's surnames, if you particularly support the candidate's election;
    2. to delete the name and surname of the candidate, if he/she does not support the election of the candidate;
    3. leave the ballot paper unchanged (no marks).
  20. In the ballot envelope, the voter puts only one ballot paper corresponding to the list of candidates for which he/she casts a vote and seals the envelope.
  21. If the voter has damaged the ballot paper before putting the ballot paper in the envelope and sealing the envelope, the polling station commission issues him/her new ballot papers with all the applied candidates' lists (previously issued ballot papers remain at the voter's disposal). Issuance of individual ballots is prohibited.
  22. If the voter has damaged the ballot envelope before putting the ballot in the envelope and sealing the envelope, the polling station committee issues him/her a new envelope and marks him/her in the list of voters in the line "Marks for repeated issuance of ballot envelopes", indicating the voter's serial number. The voter signs for receiving a new envelope there. The damaged ballot envelope shall be handed over to the polling station commission. A note must be made on the re-issued ballot envelopes in the election log. The damaged ballot envelope shall be handed over to the polling station commission.
  23. When the voter has made his/her choice and put one ballot in an envelope and sealed the envelope, he/she places the ballot envelope into the ballot box in the presence of a member of the polling station commission.
  24. When leaving the polling station, the voter can take the remaining ballots with him/her or leave them in the designated places, or pick up any additional ballots at the exit.
  25. The members and contractors of the polling station commission are prohibited from campaigning for or against any deputy candidate or list of candidates.
  26. During the elections, the order in the election premises is monitored by the chairman of the polling station commission. He/she supervises that in the election premises and closer than fifty meters from the entrance to the building where the polling station is located, there is no restriction of electoral freedom, including delaying the exercise of the right to vote, disruption of order and agitation. Having detected signs that may indicate the above-mentioned violations, the chairman of the polling station commission shall immediately report it to a competent authority (State Security Service, State Police, municipal police).
  27. Complaints about the course of elections can be submitted by voters to the chairman of the polling station commission, and they shall be recorded in the election log. Any complaint about the course of the election must be immediately reviewed and a reply shall be given to the person submitting the complaint, but the content of the complaint shall be recorded in the election log. If the submitter of the complaint is not satisfied with the reply, the chairman of the polling station commission informs him/her of the right to dispute the action of the polling station commission to the relevant municipal election commission.
  28. On the election day, at 8:00, 12:00 and 16:00 o’clock, the polling station commission records and sends information about the number of voters in the polling station in the election log.
  29. On the election day, after 20:00 o’clock, only those voters who have arrived at the polling stations before 20:00 o’clock, can vote. After that, the polling station commission closes the polling station and starts the counting of votes in accordance with the procedures specified in the Law on the Election of the Saeima and the instructions of the Central Election Commission. 
  1. Voting at the voter's location is organized:
    1. for voters, who cannot come to the polling stations due to their health condition;
    2. caregivers of sick persons;
    3. voters in places of temporary detention.
  2. Voting at the voter's location is organized by ensuring secrecy and based on the written submission of the voter or his/her authorized person, which is registered in the election log. Voting by other voters outside the polling stations is not allowed.
  3. Before registration of the application, the polling station commission verifies in the voter register:
    1. whether the person is a voter, that is, whether information about him/her is entered in the voter register and, if the application is registered on the election day, whether the person has not already voted on the election day;
    2. whether the indicated address belongs to the relevant polling station.
  4. If the person, for whom an application has been submitted for organization of voting at his/her place of location, is not a voter, that is, the information about him/her is not entered in the voter register, or the voter register contains information that the person has already voted on the election day, which was also certified by the commission of the polling station where the voter voted, the application is not registered and the applicant or, if this is not possible, the person mentioned in the application is informed about the reason for refusal.
    If it is established in the voters register that the voter has cast a vote, the application shall be registered.
    If the person is a voter, but the address indicated in the application does not correspond to the relevant polling station, the application is not registered, but forwarded to the election station to which the address indicated in the application is responsible, and the applicant is informed about this, or, if this is not possible, the person mentioned in the application.
  5. The following information shall be specified in the election log:
    1. registration number, date, time of the application;
    2. name, surname, personal identity number of the voter;
    3. name, surname and, if any, telephone number of the person who submitted the application;
    4. address where to arrive and, if available, telephone number, door code or other necessary information.
  6. The polling station commission continues to accept applications for voting at the voter's location on the election day. Applications received after 12.00 o’clock are accepted by the polling station commission if it is possible to arrive at the voter's location by 20.00 o’clock.
  7. If, upon receiving the application, it is established that the relevant voter has already applied for the organization of voting at his/her location, and the address specified in the application:
    1. matches - repeated submission shall not be registered;
    2. does not match - the previous entry in the registration log shall be cancelled and if the address corresponds to another station, proceed as indicated in the Paragraph 47, part three.
  8. The chairman of the commission selects two persons (polling station commission members, contractors) to organize voting at the voter's location and issues them a prepared ballot box, a smart device with access to the voter register, voter lists at the voter's location, envelopes and sets of ballots according to the number of applications, as well as a reserve in case the ballot envelope or mark is damaged in accordance with the procedure specified in Paragraph 20.
    Additionally, registration envelopes stamped with the stamp of the polling station commission and a list of voters for voting with registration envelopes are issued, which can be used if it is not possible to verify at the voter's location that the information about the person is included in the voter register and that a mark has not already been made in it about the person's participation in the relevant elections. In this case, voting can be organized with registration envelopes according to the procedures specified in Paragraph 29, except for the preparation of a separate ballot box.
    Information about the ballot envelopes issued for voting at the voter's location should be recorded in the election log.
  9. Voters, who vote at their location, should be recorded in a separate voter list.
  10. Observers may be present at the voter's location during voting.
  11. After returning from the field trip, the members of the polling station commission hand over the ballot box to the chairman of the commission, who in the presence of the commission immediately seals its split with a security seal, the number of which must be recorded in the election log. The chairman of the polling station commission provides the observers present with the opportunity to check and write down or photograph the seal numbers of the ballot box. Members of the polling station commission hand over voter lists, unused and damaged ballot envelopes, registration envelopes and ballot papers. Information about the ballot envelopes left over for voting at the voter's location, including damaged ones, should be recorded in the election log.
  12. If the voter's application is registered in the registration log, but the voter has not voted, it should be noted in the election log, stating the reason why the vote did not take place (the voter is not at home, has already voted at the polling station, etc.).
  13. When the voting at the voter's location has ended, the polling station commission counts the signatures of the voters who voted in the voter lists and records the total number of voters who voted at the location in the election log (column C3).
  14. The polling station commission provides transport to the commission members who organize voting at the voters' location.

Chairman of the Central

Election Commission                                                                                    

Kristīne Bērziņa

Chairman of the Central

the Central Election Commission                                                                                         

Valdis Verners