Voters in Latvia who are unable to come to the polling station for health reasons, can apply for voting at the place where the voter is located.
Caregivers of sick persons and voters in temporary places of detention can also apply to vote at their location.
! The opportunity to vote at the place where the voter is located is only available to voters in the territory of Latvia!
How to apply?
To apply for voting at the place where one is located, the voter must write an application, which must be delivered to the polling station closest to the place where the voter is located between 26 September and 1 October.
Any trusted person of the voter can deliver the application to the polling station. A trusted person may also complete and submit the application on behalf of the voter. The voter's trusted person can also write the application with the voter's request to organise voting at home at the polling station. In this case, the name and surname of the voter's trusted person are also indicated in the application.
The application can also be sent to the municipal election commission by mail or e-mail. If the application is sent by e-mail, it must be signed with a secure electronic signature! The application by e-mail must be sent as soon as possible and to the municipality that has the closest polling station to the voter's place of residence (location).
Please keep in mind! If the application is delivered to the polling station on election day, 1 October, then the applications that the election commission will have received by 12:00 will have to be fulfilled mandatory. Whereas, applications received on election day after 12:00, must be fulfilled if it is possible for the employees of the polling station commission to arrive at the place where the voter is located by 8:00 p.m.
The following data must be indicated in the application:
- name and surname;
- personal identity number;
- the reason for requiring voting at the place where the voter is located;
- the exact address where the election commission must arrive;
- it is recommended to also indicate the code of the front door of the building, if any, and the telephone number by which the election commission can contact the voter in problem situations;
- In addition, please indicate if the voter is in home quarantine, isolation or self-isolation due to the Covid-19 infection.
The law does not provide for the possibility to apply for voting by phone at the place where the voter is located. This norm has been introduced with the aim of avoiding false applications.
You can submit an application for voting at the location during the following working hours of the polling stations: …
- on Monday, 26 September, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.,
- on Tuesday, 27 September, from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.,
- on Wednesday, 28 September, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.,
- on Thursday, 29 September, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 o’clock,
- on Friday, 30 September, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.,
- on Saturday, 1 October, from 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 o’clock (in this case, the application must be fulfilled mandatorily; applications received after 12:00 o’clock will be fulfilled by the polling station commission if it is possible to reach the voter by the closing of the polling station at 8:00 p.m.).
Voting procedure where the voter is located
Voting procedure at the place where the voter is located is the same as at the polling station. The voter must present a valid Latvian citizen's passport or identity card, sign the list of voters, a mark must be made in the online voter register that the voter has voted, and one election envelope and one set of ballot papers are issued to the voter.
The secret ballot should be ensured for the voter who votes at the place of residence too, so that no one influences the voter's choice. At the same time, a voter who has physical disabilities that prevent him/her from signing the voter's list or marking a ballot paper may choose a trusted person. This person may not be a member of the election commission.
Observers may also observe the voting at the voter's place of residence, but in this case the observers need to obtain the consent of the voter. If a voter does not want to allow observers to his/her place of residence, he/she has the right to do so.
Voting in places of detention
In order to apply for voting in a place of detention, the voter must write an application to the administration of the place of detention. Name, surname and personal identity number must be indicated in the application. One must apply for voting by 29 September.
Upon receiving a person's application, the administration of the place of detention will check whether the person who wants to vote in the place of detention is a voter and will register the application on the voter’s list.
Voting in the place of detention will be organised on election day, 1 October. Voting will be organised by the administration of the place of detention in cooperation with the polling station commission appointed by the municipal election commission to be responsible for ensuring voting in the place of detention.