Latvia orders repeat vote at Riga prison after invalid ID

Latvia’s Central Election Commission has annulled votes cast at a prison in Riga and ordered a repeat ballot after a prisoner voted using an expired identity document, LSM reported.

The prisoner had already placed the ballot envelope in the box, where it became irretrievably mixed with other ballots, the commission said. At an emergency meeting, it decided to void all votes cast at that polling place to ensure the election process was lawful and avoid doubts about their validity.

The repeat vote began on Saturday, October 3, and will continue until the last voter has cast a ballot. The commission said the incident was identified and addressed on election day and would not affect the overall vote-counting process. Only ballots cast in the repeat vote will be included in the results.

Latvia held elections for its 15th Saeima, the country’s parliament, on October 3.