Latvia election count delayed as officials check repeat votes

Counting in Latvia’s 15th parliamentary election began more than two hours later than planned as officials checked for repeat votes, the Central Election Commission (CVK) told LSM. Preliminary results were expected at around 4 a.m. on Sunday.

Officials had to identify and annul earlier ballots cast for safekeeping when voters later changed their minds and voted again, either by submitting another ballot for safekeeping or voting on election day, Saturday, October 3. The checks also involved the electronic voter register, CVK chair Māris Zviedris said at a news conference overnight.

More than 165,000 voters cast ballots for safekeeping this year, compared with more than 60,000 in 2022 and 30,000 in 2018. This was the first election in which all polling stations operated for set hours each weekday before election day, giving voters a wider opportunity to use the option.

CVK data shortly after 1 a.m. showed that more than 650 people had changed their choice after initially casting a ballot for safekeeping. Zviedris said staff took extra time to check cases they were unsure about, delaying the preliminary results by a few hours.