Voters get final chance to deposit ballots before Saeima election

Voters can deposit ballots for Latvia’s 15th Saeima election at any polling station in the country on Friday, October 2, from noon to 3 p.m., LSM reported.

During the first four days of advance voting, at least 110,000 people used the ballot-storage option. Nearly 5,000 citizens also applied to vote by post. The Central Election Commission counts postal applications as part of participation activity, which has reached 7.44%.

Ballot storage is conducted in secret. At the polling station, voters receive ballot papers, a sealed ballot envelope and a registration envelope marked with their name and number on the voter list. They make their choice in private, seal the selected ballot paper inside the ballot envelope, then place it in the registration envelope. A polling station worker stamps the registration envelope and puts it in the ballot box in the voter’s presence.

The sealed ballot box is kept until counting begins after polling stations close on October 3. Officials check each vote’s validity, remove the ballot envelopes from the registration envelopes, mix them and only then open them, preserving the secrecy of each vote. Voters can still change their choice on election day; only their last vote will count.

The 15th Saeima election takes place on Saturday, October 3. Polling stations will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and voters can cast their ballot at any polling station.