site.btaForeign Ministry Official Warns Required Declarations Could Delay Overseas Voting

Radi Naydenov, the Permanent Secretary and Chairman of the Foreign Ministry’s Elections Working Group, has warned that the requirement for voters abroad to complete declarations before members of section election commissions, confirming that they would not vote elsewhere, could slow down the voting process. Naydenov was speaking on Nova TV on Wednesday.

The purpose of the declarations is to prevent people from voting more than once.

The wording in the Election Code means voters will have to fill out the declarations in front of the entire commission. Experience so far shows that between 10% and 20% of Bulgarian voters abroad register in advance, meaning that the names and personal details of the remaining 90% have to be entered by hand on the electoral rolls, Naydenov explained.

In previous elections, voters filled out the declarations in a separate room.

He said a solution was needed that would ensure compliance with the law while allowing people to exercise their right to vote without unnecessary difficulties. One possible option for future elections, Naydenov said, would be to introduce compulsory advance registration through the submission of applications.

The voting machines were received on 17 and 18 October, over the weekend, following a re-certification procedure. The Foreign Ministry immediately organized teams to dispatch them to polling stations by courier and road transport. The State Aviation Operator has also been engaged, with 80 staff members set to travel with its assistance and also perform the duties of diplomatic couriers. They will deliver not only the machines but also election documents and ballot papers, Naydenov said. The ministry’s position was that voting machines should not be sent to Russia because, according to an assessment by Bulgaria’s diplomatic mission there, allowing a machine to be used at a polling station would take more time and complicate the process, he added.

There will be 613 polling stations in 60 countries for Bulgarian voters abroad. A total of 39,194 applications were submitted in advance across 73 countries. The number of polling stations is nevertheless limited, as opening a polling station commission is subject to other legal requirements in addition to demand from voters, Naydenov explained.

Of the nearly 39,000 Bulgarian citizens who submitted applications, 38,227 have been included on the electoral rolls, he added. Double voting cannot occur because information on voters whose applications have been approved is sent to the Directorate General of Civil Registration and Administrative Services (GRAO), and their names are removed from the relevant electoral rolls, preventing them from voting elsewhere, Naydenov said.

A total of 280 voting machines have been allocated for voting abroad. One machine will be available at each of 242 polling stations, while 38 stations will have two machines each.

Organizing elections abroad requires substantial human resources and funding as well, Naydenov said. The previous elections cost around EUR 2.3 million while the upcoming vote is expected to be more expensive due to a larger number of polling stations, he added.