Only 11.6% of Latvian diaspora voters cast ballots

Just 23,196 of the 199,452 Latvian citizens registered abroad voted in the 15th Saeima elections, a turnout of 11.6%, LSM reported. The Latvijas Radio programme “Global Latvian. 21st century” examined why diaspora voters are staying away from the ballot box and whether anything should be done to change that.

The number of Latvian citizens registered abroad has risen from 135,000 in 2018 to 199,452 this year. The electorate is comparable in size to a Latvian election constituency such as Zemgale, and larger than Kurzeme and Latgale combined, the article said.

For voters abroad, polling stations can be several hours away. There were 82 in-person polling stations in 33 countries for the election, many organised by diaspora communities rather than located at embassies. Voting by post was another option, but the programme’s article guide cited its complexity as a barrier, alongside limited interest in Latvian politics.

Inita Dzene, a senior expert on external cooperation at the Central Election Commission, said no applications from Latvians abroad to set up polling stations had been rejected. The same rules applied to all polling stations, she said, and meeting the requirements took time and resources. Establishing a station in Riga, elsewhere in Europe, America or Australia involved the same legal requirements.

Dzene said the effort was worthwhile when people were prepared to invest their time and work in a demanding process. The programme also raised whether information about elections reaches mainly people who already follow events in Latvia, whether diaspora voters lack a political force that speaks to dissatisfied voters, and whether low turnout necessarily means a loss of interest in Latvia. It noted that some diaspora voters would like their ballots counted in their place of origin and argued that the diaspora should receive attention beyond election campaigns.