Moldova will implement a pilot project of voting by mail from abroad, which is being implemented in a number of eligible countries.
This is stipulated by the relevant draft law, which was passed by the Parliament in the second reading. The document regulates the principles of exercising the right to vote by mail, specific electoral procedures, as well as the powers of the electoral bodies that organize this alternative way of exercising the right to vote. In the framework of the second reading, the law included criteria for determining the countries in which voting by mail will take place. Thus, the conditions for the partial implementation of voting by mail are: the absence of polling stations in the host country or a long distance to the nearest previously established polling station; experience in implementing this alternative method of voting; prior registration of at least 30 applications at the previous polling station; and the security and reliability of postal services. Countries meeting these criteria are: United States, Canada, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Norway and Iceland. At the same time, voting by mail will not be possible in countries with which Moldova has not established diplomatic relations, in countries in a state of military conflict, as well as in countries where international standards for free and fair elections are not respected. Another amendment included in the document concerns the security of voting. Thus, the envelope with voting materials will contain a statement of responsibility. Voters will have to sign it to confirm the secret ballot. At the same time, voters who do not respect the secrecy of the vote will be sanctioned. The criminal code will be supplemented with an article regarding failure to respect the secrecy of the ballot, disclosure of a voting option expressed by mail or sending the ballot to a third party. In order to vote by mail, citizens will have to register to vote by mail on a mandatory basis and receive notification from the Central Electoral Commission that the registration procedure has been completed. In this case, ballots will be sent to voters by diplomatic pouch or regular postal services. The document also contains provisions regarding the counting of votes, as well as situations in which ballots are invalidated. The draft law on pilot postal voting was subjected to an extensive public consultation process involving representatives of civil society, political parties and government authorities involved in the electoral process. Suggestions received were taken into account to improve the document. Statistics show that 212,434 voters from outside Moldova participated in the 2021 presidential elections. In 53 countries, voting by mail from abroad is allowed. At the same time, 13 EU countries also allow voting by mail. // 26.04.2024 - InfoMarket.
