'Democratic Bulgaria' Pushes for Improved Vote Counting with New Electoral Code Amendments

"Democratic Bulgaria" (DB) has submitted a draft proposal to the National Assembly, suggesting amendments to the Electoral Code aimed at improving the electoral process. The proposal calls for the return of the machine protocol, which was previously discarded by the so-called Paper Coalition of GERB, DPS, and BSP, transforming the voting devices into "printers." Under this amendment, voting by machine would still be an option, but the protocol, which quickly and accurately reports results, would be reinstated.

As part of the changes, the DB draft includes the creation of counting commissions responsible for the accurate tallying of votes. For municipalities with up to 20,000 voters, a single counting commission would be formed. For those with more than 20,000 voters, the municipality would be divided into precincts, with a counting commission assigned to each one. The number of members in each commission would be equal to that of the respective municipal election commission. This change aims to enhance the accuracy and transparency of the voting process.

The proposal specifies that after polling day, members of Sectional Election Commissions (SECs) would seal the ballot boxes with protective tape containing unique numbers, which are recorded in the protocol. The boxes would remain sealed until all are gathered for the respective precinct. Only then would the counting commission begin tallying the ballots. Results would be reported by precinct in the official protocol. Machine votes would be counted only through the printed receipts, which must correspond to the number of voters who used the machine.

Furthermore, the DB's draft suggests the implementation of year-round events to raise awareness about voting, particularly for Bulgarians living abroad. The aim is to ensure transparency and encourage trust in the election process. This approach mirrors practices used in other democracies, with counting centers previously experimented with in Bulgaria in 2011 during local and presidential elections. The positive evaluation of this experiment by both the Central Election Commission (CEC) and Transparency International highlights its potential.

This is the third proposed amendment to the Electoral Code introduced in the current parliament. Previous drafts came from other political parties, including "There Is Such a People" (TISP) and "Revival." The TISP proposal focuses on replacing voting machines with scanning devices and tackling outdated electoral rolls through data from the latest population census. Meanwhile, "We Continue the Change" has submitted their bill to eliminate manual vote counting by introducing optical scanning devices for paper ballots and limiting machine votes to the device's protocol.

The changes to the Electoral Code are part of a broader trend in Bulgaria's efforts to digitize the election process and eliminate manual counting of ballots. In 2021, the parliament passed a law requiring machine voting in polling stations with over 300 voters. This was part of the initiative to modernize the system and improve voter experience. However, in 2022, a significant shift occurred when the 48th National Assembly reinstated paper voting and manual ballot counting. The changes sparked a response from President Rumen Radev, who vetoed the amendments, but the parliament overruled the veto.

With these proposed changes, DB aims to enhance the transparency, accuracy, and credibility of the election process, addressing longstanding concerns and building public confidence in the electoral system.

Sources:

• Bulgarian News Agency (BNR)
• Bulgarian National Television (BNT)
• Club Z