HOW TO VOTE in Latvia
The European elections take place in Latvia on 25 May 2019. Anyone aged 18 or over can cast a vote. It’s also possible to vote abroad if certain conditions are met.
Voters in Latvia have to vote in a specific polling station based on their home address. They are also able to vote in any polling station three days before the elections, as an online data exchange will be ensured between the respective polling station and the allocated polling station
Preliminary voting in Latvia will take place on 22-24 May.
Initially voters are allocated to polling stations according to the registered place of residence, but until the 18th day before election day voters can change it to any other polling station in Latvia or abroad.
To find out your nearest polling booth, check out this and this website.
You don’t need to register in advance, as this is done automatically by the authorities. However, if you have changed your home address recently, we advise you to check with the national election authority’s website whether your registration on the voting lists is correct.
To find out where to register, check out this website
If you are abroad on election day, it is possible to vote by mail in Latvia.
Sign up for voting by post abroad at:
1) until 13 April 2019 at Latvian diplomatic and consular representations
2) until 25 April 2019 - at the polling station commission responsible for voting by post at Smilsu street, Riga
Requests could be sent by mail, handed over directly or electronically, using the voters register’s e-services, or be sent by email, if there is possibility to sign it with a secure electronic signature.
The election commission will send you voting materials to the provided address by 1 May 2019. Voters have to make their choice and send their vote back to the polling station commission responsible for voting by post in Riga, before the counting of votes starts at 20.00 on 25 May 2019.
You can vote in Latvia if:
1) You have EU citizenship
2) You are at least 18 on election day
3) You have voting rights in the EU country you are from
4) You are registered in a residents register in Latvia
In order to vote in Latvia, you have to submit a request by 25 April 25, 2019 to the central election commission to be entered on the Latvian voters register. The request could be handed over directly, by mail or electronically, if it is possible to sign it with a secure electronic signature.
Under EU law, all countries must use voting systems that ensure proportional representation, which means that the number of elected Members from each party depends on the share of electoral votes obtained by the party.
Latvia uses preferential voting, which gives the voters the option to indicate their preferences within the party list they choose. Candidates who receive the most preferences are more likely to be elected.
Candidates lists were submitted from 6 March until 21 March 2019, information is available on this this website.
How can I vote in other countries?
The information by country is available in English and in the language(s) of the selected country