Illustrative stock photo (source: TASR/AP)
Regarding the upcoming regional and municipal elections, which should take place in autumn 2022, the Interior Ministry has started to deal with the question of how to ensure the votes of people in isolation because of Covid.
The ministry proposed that people ordered to stay in isolation by the Public Health Authority because of Covid as of September 30 be able to participate in the election.
The ministry submitted a proposal of a law regarding a special way of voting in the election to the interdepartmental review procedure. The ministry argues that they need to accept the law before the date of the election is stated so there is enough time to ensure the implementation of measures needed.
Ballot box in the home
The law proposal reads that entitled voters, which also includes foreigners with permanent residence in Slovakia for the regional and municipal election, should request a special way of voting. According to the proposed law, two members of a special election committee should visit voters in isolation at their permanent or tempiorary residence with a ballot box and ballot papers.
The special voting process will not be conducted in health facilities where healthcare is provided in beds.
“After arriving at a place of special voting, members of the special committee will call on the voter to vote and they will stay in place for 10 minutes,” the Interior Ministry wrote in the proposal. “If the voter does not vote in this time despite repeated calls, it will be considered that the voter refused to vote.”
A voter who is interested in a special way of voting needs to submit an application to the registrar of the municipality of the voter's permanent residence either personally or through another person by telephone during office hours. The person may submit the application no later than twelve o'clock on the last working day before the day of the joint elections.
Earlier election
The ministry also proposed that the election could take place earlier than originally planned. As the elections will be joint regional and municipal, a date in accordance with the time period defined in the law for both elections needs to found. The only date to fulfil these parameters would be somewhere around All Saint’s Day, which was repeatedly opposed by Speaker of Parliament Boris Kollár (Sme Rodina).
The Interior Ministry has now proposed that elections take place in the last 21 days of the election period instead of the current 14 days.
