This afternoon at 5:00 PM, early voting in the municipal elections will begin across Latvia, according to the Central Election Commission (CEC).
A total of 948 polling stations throughout the country will be open for early voting. As on election day itself, voters can cast their ballots at any polling station within their municipality during the early voting period.
Polling station opening hours for early voting are as follows:
- Monday, June 2: from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM
- Tuesday, June 3: from 8:00 AM to 11:00 AM
- Wednesday, June 4: from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM
- Thursday, June 5: from 8:00 AM to 11:00 AM
- Friday, June 6: from 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM
From today until 12:00 PM on Saturday, eligible voters who are unable to travel to a polling station due to health issues can apply to vote at their location within their municipality.
To request location-based voting (e.g., at home), voters must submit a written application including their full name, personal ID number, phone number, address, and for apartment buildings – the entry code if there is one. The application can be written in free form and delivered to the nearest polling station by a relative, neighbor, caregiver, or another trusted person. It can also be sent via email to the election commission of the voter’s municipality, signed with a secure electronic signature.
For the first time, mobile voting stations will also be used during this election, starting today.
The CEC has announced that 11 municipalities will offer this option: Alūksne, Augšdaugava, Balvi, Bauska, Dobele, Jelgava, Jēkabpils, Olaine, Rēzekne, Salaspils, and Smiltene.
Some municipalities have equipped special buses for this purpose, while others have designated additional voting locations, such as libraries, schools, community centers, and other public venues, in addition to the regular polling stations.
Information about mobile voting locations and times can be found on the CEC website.
As previously reported, municipal elections will take place on the first Saturday of June.