The Saeima ¹ has adopted and
the President has proclaimed the following law:

Electoral Register Law

Section 1. The purpose of this Law is to ensure the establishment of a unified voter registration system in the territory of the Republic of Latvia - an electoral register (hereinafter - the Register) - and processing of the data entered therein.

[11 June 2020; 23 September 2021]

Section 2. The Register shall provide a record of persons who, in accordance with the Election to the European Parliament Law, the Law on the Election of Local Government Councils, or the Law on the Election of the Saeima, have the right to vote in the Republic of Latvia (hereinafter - the voters).

[23 September 2021]

Section 3. (1) The Central Election Commission shall perform methodological management and supervision of the operation of the Register.

(2) The information included in the Register shall be processed and the Register shall be maintained by the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (hereinafter - the Office).

Section 4. Expenditures related to the establishment and maintenance of the Register shall be covered from the State budget.

Section 5. (1) The Register shall include, update, and store information on Latvian citizens who have reached 18 years of age on the day of the election to the European Parliament, election of local government council, or election of the Saeima (hereinafter - the elections) and are registered in the Register of Natural Persons.

(1¹) The Register shall include, update, and store information on such citizens of the European Union who are not Latvian citizens but are registered in the Register of Natural Persons and who have reached 18 years of age on the day of the election of local government councils.

(2) The Register shall include, update, and store information on citizens of the European Union who are not Latvian citizens and have reached 18 years of age on the day of the election to the European Parliament, who are registered in the Register of Natural Persons or have applied to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and on whom the Central Election Commission has taken the decision to include them in the Register in accordance with the law.

(3) [Paragraph shall come into force on 1 August 2025 and shall be included in the wording of the Law as of 1 August 2025 / See Paragraph 2 of Transitional Provisions]

[30 September 2004; 11 May 2006; 17 July 2008; 20 December 2018; 11 February 2021; 23 September 2021]

Section 6. (1) In the Register, regarding the voter:

1) the following information shall initially be entered from the Register of Natural Persons:

a) personal identity number;

b) the given name (names);

c) surname;

d) personal identification document number processed using the hash function;

e) the date of birth;

f) citizenship;

g) the address of the place of residence;

2) the following information shall be entered and updated during the operation of the Register:

a) the given name (names);

b) surname;

c) the date of birth;

d) citizenship;

e) the address of the place of residence;

f) voter code;

g) electoral district;

h) a record that the voter has applied to vote by post in the election to the European Parliament and that the voting materials are available to the voter via the electronic service available on the Portal of State Administration Services;

i) the electronic mail address to which the address of the website where the voting materials are available is to be sent if the voter has applied to vote by post in the election of the Saeima or the election of local government councils;

j) a record that the address of the website where the voting materials are available is to be sent to the voter's official electronic address if the voter has applied to vote by post in the election of the Saeima or the election of local government councils;

k) the foreign country from which the voter plans to send his or her vote if he or she has applied to vote by post;

l) indication that the person owns immovable property which is registered in the administrative territory of the relevant local government in accordance with the procedures specified by law;

m) information on the polling station where the voter has voted (number, address, name, date and time of registration of the voter's vote, record of voting using the registration envelope);

n) information on inclusion in or exclusion from the Register;

o) the name of the elections or the local government referendum.

(2) Upon entering information in the Register or the updating thereof, the date and reason of the entry and update shall be specified.

(3) The election of the Saeima within the meaning of this Law shall take place in one electoral district.

[30 September 2004; 17 July 2008; 26 February 2009; 20 December 2018; 11 June 2020; 11 February 2021; 23 September 2021; 6 December 2023]

Section 7. The Central Election Commission shall, 50 days before the elections, submit to the Office information on all polling stations established, specifying the constituency, number, name and address of each polling station, and also within three days inform the Office of any changes to this information.

[11 June 2020; 23 September 2021]

Section 7.¹ [Section shall come into force on 1 August 2025 and be included in the wording of the Law as of 1 August 2025 / See Paragraph 2 of Transitional Provisions]

Section 8. [11 June 2020]

Section 9. (1) Based on the information in the Register of Natural Persons, the Office shall include in the Register information on Latvian citizens who will have reached the age of 18 on the day of regular elections or on the day of adoption of the decision on holding a local government referendum:

1) 90 days before the election of local government councils;

2) 45 days before the election of the Saeima or the election to the European Parliament;

3) [Clause shall come into force on 1 August 2025 and shall be included in the wording of the Law as of 1 August 2025. See Paragraph 2 of Transitional Provisions]

(2) Based on the information in the Register of Natural Persons, the Office shall, 90 days before the election of local government councils, enter information into the Register on such citizens of the European Union who are not Latvian citizens but are registered in the Register of Natural Persons and who will reach 18 years of age on the day of the regular elections.

(3) [Paragraph shall come into force on 1 August 2025 and shall be included in the wording of the Law as of 1 August 2025 / See Paragraph 2 of Transitional Provisions]

[30 September 2004; 17 July 2008; 20 December 2018; 11 February 2021; 23 September 2021; 6 December 2023]

Section 10. The Central Election Commission shall, not later than 20 days before the election to the European Parliament, enter information into the Register on the citizens of the European Union who are not Latvian citizens but who are registered in the Register of Natural Persons and on whom the Central Election Commission has taken the decision to include them in the Register in accordance with the procedures laid down in law.

[23 September 2021]

Section 11. The Central Election Commission shall, not later than 20 days before the election to the European Parliament, enter information into the Register on the citizens of the European Union who, in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 18 April 1961 and the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations of 24 April 1963, are exempt from registration in the Register of Natural Persons and who have applied to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to vote in the election to the European Parliament in the Republic of Latvia not later than 30 days before the election.

[23 September 2021]

Section 11.¹ [11 June 2020]

Section 12. (1) The Office shall prepare the initial electronic electoral roll:

1) no later than 75 days before the election of local government councils for each electoral district;

2) no later than 35 days before the election of the Saeima or the election to the European Parliament;

3) [Clause shall come into force on 1 August 2025 and shall be included in the wording of the Law as of 1 August 2025. See Paragraph 2 of Transitional Provisions]

(2) The electronic electoral roll of the district shall include all the voters who have declared their place of residence at the addresses belonging to the relevant constituency or whose last address of the place of residence was at the addresses belonging to such constituency.

(3) In the election of local government councils, the voters who have registered their place of residence in a foreign country shall be included in an electronic electoral roll of voters living abroad.

(4) For the election of local government councils or for a local government referendum, only those voters whose registered place of residence is at an address within the respective electoral district shall be included in the electronic electoral roll for the district.

(5) If the election of local government councils take place concurrently with the election to the European Parliament or election of the Saeima, the voters who have the right to participate in both elections shall be included in the electoral roll of the electoral district at the addresses belonging to which the place of residence of the voters is registered in accordance with the provisions of the Law on the Election of Local Government Councils.

[30 September 2004; 17 July 2008; 26 February 2009; 11 June 2020; 11 February 2021; 23 September 2021; 6 December 2023]

Section 13. (1) The Office shall, on the 75^th and 14^th day before the election of local government councils, send information on the possibility to ascertain the electoral district to those voters who have an activated official electronic address account.

(2) The information referred to in Paragraph one of this Section shall not be sent to the voters who do not have an activated official electronic address account.

(3) The Office shall, not later than 70 days before the election of local government councils, provide the voter with a possibility to receive information free of charge on the electoral district in the electoral roll of which he or she has been included by using the electronic service available on the website of the Office.

[11 June 2020; 23 September 2021]

Section 14. (1) The voter shall vote in the constituency in the electronic electoral roll of which he or she has been included in accordance with the information contained in the Register.

(2) The voter has the right to change the constituency for the local government council elections by choosing another constituency in which he or she has an immovable property registered in accordance with the procedures laid down in law or in which he or she has declared his or her place of residence.

(3) [11 June 2020]

(4) In respect of his or her wish to change the constituency in the cases referred to in Paragraph two of this Section the voter shall, not earlier than 70 days and not later than 9 days before the elections, submit a submission in person to any local government or its institution for the declaration of the place of residence. Suspects and accused persons on whom arrest has been imposed as a security measure shall submit a submission for the change of the constituency to the administration of the prison.

(4¹) The voter may also change his or her constituency free of charge electronically not earlier than 70 days and not later than 9 days before the elections by using the electronic service available on the website of the Office.

(5) If for the election of local government councils the voter chooses a constituency in which he or she has an immovable property registered in accordance with the procedures laid down in law, he or she shall in addition present to the local government or its institution for the declaration of a place of residence a document certifying his or her property rights.

(6) A local government or its institution for the declaration of the place of residence or the administration of the place of imprisonment shall, using online data transmission, update the information included in the Register on change of the constituency on the day of receipt of the submission.

(7) [30 September 2004]

[30 September 2004; 11 May 2006; 17 July 2008; 26 February 2009; 9 February 2017; 20 December 2018; 11 June 2020; 11 February 2021]

Section 15. (1) If a submission of a citizen of the European Union has been received in which it is requested to cancel the Register entry in respect of him or her or if the citizen of the European Union has lost the right to vote in the Member State of the European Union of which he or she is a citizen, the Central Election Commission shall exclude the relevant information from the Register.

(2) The Office shall, in accordance with the information included in the Register of Natural Person, enter information into the Register and update it in the following cases:

1) a voter has died;

2) [20 December 2018];

3) a voter has acquired or lost Latvian citizenship;

4) a voter has changed his or her given name (names) or surname;

5) a voter has changed the personal identification document;

6) a voter has lost citizenship of the European Union;

7) the legal ground for the registration of a voter in the Register of Natural Persons has been lost;

8) the voter has changed his or her personal identity number.

(3) The Prison Administration shall, according to the information entered into the Prisoner Information System in conformity with the relevant election law, update the information entered into the Register if a voter is serving a sentence at a prison.

(3¹) [Paragraph shall come into force on 1 August 2025 and shall be included in the wording of the Law as of 1 August 2025 / See Paragraph 2 of Transitional Provisions]

(4) In the election to the European Parliament, the election of local government councils, and the election of the Saeima, the information included in the Register in accordance with Paragraphs one, two, and three of this Section shall be updated by 18:00 on the seventh day before the elections.

(5) [Paragraph shall come into force on 1 August 2025 and shall be included in the wording of the Law as of 1 August 2025 / See Paragraph 2 of Transitional Provisions]

[30 September 2004; 26 February 2009; 9 February 2017; 20 December 2018; 11 June 2020; 23 September 2021; 6 December 2023]

Section 16. [11 June 2020]

Section 17. If revote takes place in separate polling stations, the election commission shall, 12 days before the revote, send the voter to his or her place of residence in Latvia information that he or she has been included in the electoral roll of revote. The Office shall ensure the preparation of the respective information on the voters and transfer thereof to the election commission.

[11 June 2020]

Section 18. After receipt of an application for voting by post, the commission of the polling station for voting by post or the Central Election Commission shall make a record in the Register, in the online data transmission mode, of the application of the voter to participate in the relevant election and vote by post and shall indicate the address of the voter in the foreign country to which the documents for voting by post are to be sent or the electronic mail address or official electronic address of the voter to which the address of the website where the voting materials are available is to be sent.

[6 December 2023]

Section 19. (1) The Office shall, not later than at 19:00 on the seventh day before the elections, ensure that the electoral register is available to the polling station commissions.

(2) [11 June 2020]

(3) [11 June 2020]

[30 September 2004; 11 June 2020]

Section 20. (1) The information included in the Register is accumulated, deposited to the State archives, or destroyed in information systems in accordance with the procedures laid down in the laws and regulations regarding the archiving of documented data.

(2) The Central Election Commission and the Office have to right to process the information entered into the Register for statistical purposes.

[23 September 2021]

Section 21. The decision on the inclusion of a person in the Register, refusal to include him or her in the Register or his or her deletion from it may be appealed against before a court in accordance with the procedures laid down in the Administrative Procedure Law. The court shall examine an application not later than within three working days from the initiation of the case. The court judgment shall be enforced without delay.

[11 May 2006]

Transitional Provisions

[6 December 2023]

1. Amendment to Section 15, Paragraph three of this Law regarding substitution of the words "The Information Centre of the Ministry of the Interior shall, according to the information included in the Punishment Register" with the words "The Prison Administration shall, according to the information entered into the Prisoner Information System" shall come into force on 1 January 2022.

[11 June 2020 / Numbering of the Clause is amended by the Law of 6 December 2023]

2. The amendment to this Law regarding the new wording of Section 2, Paragraph three of Section 5, Section 7.¹, Paragraph one, Clause 3 and Paragraph three of Section 9, Paragraph one, Clause 3 of Section 12, Paragraphs 3.¹ and five of Section 15, and the amendment regarding the new wording of Paragraph one of Section 19 shall come into force on 1 August 2025.

[6 December 2023 / The abovementioned amendments shall be included in the wording of the Law as of 1 August 2025]

Informative Reference to European Union Directive

[11 May 2006]

The Law contains legal norms arising from Council Directive 93/109/EC of 6 December 1993 laying down detailed arrangements for the exercise of the right to vote and stand as a candidate in elections to the European Parliament for citizens of the Union residing in a Member State of which they are not nationals.

The Law shall come into force on 5 February 2004.

The Law has been adopted by the Saeima on 22 January 2004.

President V. Vīķe-Freiberga

Rīga, 29 January 2004

¹ The Parliament of the Republic of Latvia

Translation © 2024 Valsts valodas centrs (State Language Centre)