The Saeima¹ 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 uniform voter registration system in the territory of the Republic of Latvia - an electoral register (hereinafter - Register) - and to regulate the drawing up of electoral rolls.

Section 2.

The Register shall ensure the registration of persons who have the right to vote in the Republic of Latvia in accordance with the Saeima Election Law, the Elections to the European Parliament Law and the City, County and Parish Council Election Law and who have the right to vote in accordance with the Law On Referendums and Initiation of Legislation (hereinafter - voters).

Section 3.

(1) The Central Electoral 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 - Office).

Section 4.

Expenditures associated with 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 regarding Latvian citizens with the capacity to act who on the day of the Saeima, European Parliament, city council, county council and parish council elections or a referendum (hereinafter - elections) have reached 18 years of age and are registered in the Population Register.

(2) The Register shall include, update and store information regarding citizens of the European Union with the capacity to act who are not Latvian citizens and on the day of the elections to the European Parliament have reached 18 years of age, who are registered in the Population Register or have applied to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and concerning whom the Central Electoral Commission has taken a decision regarding the inclusion thereof in the Register in conformity with the law.

Section 6.

(1) The Register shall contain the following information regarding a voter:

1) personal identity number;

2) voter code;

3) given name (names);

4) surname;

5) citizenship;

6) information regarding his or her personal identification document:

a) type of document;

b) series and number;

c) date of issue;

d) term of validity;

e) issuing country and issuing authority;

7) residential address;

8) address in a foreign state to which documents for postal voting shall be sent if the voter has applied to vote by post;

9) information regarding the polling station:

a) number;

b) address;

10) sequential number in the electoral roll of the polling station; and

11) information regarding inclusion in the Register and exclusion therefrom.

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

Section 7.

The Central Electoral Commission shall submit 120 days before the elections to the Office information regarding all polling stations established, specifying the number and address of each polling station, as well as within three days inform it of any changes to this information.

Section 8.

(1) The Office shall electronically compile and issue to local governments 120 days before the elections the data of the Population Register regarding the number of registered voters living at residential addresses (houses) within the administrative territory of each local government.

(2) Within three weeks from the day of receipt of the information referred to in Paragraph one of this Section, a city council, county council or parish council shall supplement the information provided by the Office with the number of a polling station within the administrative territory thereof corresponding to the residential address (house) of a voter and submit the supplemented information in electronic form to the Office, which shall update the information included in the Register.

Section 9.

The Office shall enter 90 days before the elections into the Register information, on the basis of the information in the Population Register regarding Latvian citizens with the capacity to act, who on the day of the regular elections will reach 18 years of age.

Section 10.

The Central Electoral Commission shall not later than 20 days before elections to the European Parliament enter into the Register information regarding the citizens of the European Union who are not Latvian citizens, but who are registered in the Population Register and concerning whom the Central Electoral Commission has taken a decision in accordance with the procedures prescribed by law regarding the inclusion thereof in the Register.

Section 11.

The Central Electoral Commission shall not later than 20 days before elections to the European Parliament enter into the Register information regarding 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 Population Register and who have applied to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to vote in the European Parliament elections in the Republic of Latvia not later than 30 days before the elections.

Section 12.

(1) The Office shall not later than 75 days before the elections prepare the initial electoral roll for each polling station.

(2) The electoral roll of a polling station shall include all the voters who have declared their place of residence at the addresses belonging to the relevant polling station or whose last registered residential address was at the addresses belonging to the polling station.

(3) Voters who have registered their place of residence in foreign states shall be included in an electoral roll of voters living abroad.

Section 13.

(1) The Office shall not later than 70 days before the elections send to the voter by post to his or her residential address in Latvia, information regarding the polling station in the electoral roll of which he or she has been included.

(2) The information referred to in Paragraph one of this Section shall not be sent to voters without a declared place of residence or to voters who have been included in the electoral roll of voters living abroad.

Section 14.

(1) A voter shall vote at the polling station in the electoral roll of which he or she has been included in accordance with the information contained by the Register.

(2) In city council, county council and parish council elections a voter has the right to change the polling station, choosing any other polling station within the administrative territory of the local government in which he or she has declared the place of residence or in which his or her immovable property registered in accordance with the procedures prescribed by the law is located.

(3) In the Saeima, and European Parliament elections and a referendum, a voter has the right to change the polling station, choosing any other polling station within the territory of Latvia.

(4) In respect of his or her wish to change the polling station in the cases referred to in Paragraphs two and three of this Section a voter shall not later than 30 days before the elections personally submit a submission to any local government or its institution for the declaration of a place of residence.

(5) If in the city council, county council and parish council elections a voter chooses a polling station within the administrative territory of the local government in which his or her immovable property registered in accordance with the procedures prescribed by the law is located, 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 an institution thereof for the declaration of a place of residence shall, by using online data transmission, update the information included in the Register regarding change of the polling station.

(7) If a local government or an institution thereof for the declaration of a place of residence does not have online data transmission with the Register, information on the change of the polling station shall be sent to the Central Electoral Commission by post. The Central Electoral Commission shall ensure the updating of the information in the Register.

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 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 Electoral Commission shall take a decision regarding exclusion of the information from the Register and update the information accordingly.

(2) The Office in accordance with the information included in the Population Register shall enter information into the Register and update it if:

1) a voter has died;

2) a voter has been recognised as not having the capacity to act or having the capacity to act;

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; or

7) the legal ground for the registration of a voter in the Population Register has been lost.

(3) The Information Centre of the Ministry of the Interior shall in accordance with the information included in the Penalty Register in conformity with the relevant election law update the information included in the Register if a voter is serving a sentence in a place of deprivation of liberty or if a voter is a suspected person, an accused person or a defendant and imprisonment has been applied against him or her as a security measure.

(4) The information entered into the Register in accordance with Paragraphs one, two and three of this Section shall be updated by 1800 hours on the last, but one day before the elections.

Section 16.

(1) The Office shall in accordance with the information in the Register draw up electoral rolls 15 days before the elections.

(2) The content and form of an electoral roll shall be approved by the Central Electoral Commission.

(3) Electoral rolls with voters registered in Latvia shall be sent to electoral commissions of republic cities, as well as district electoral commissions which shall issue them to city, county and parish electoral commissions.

Section 17.

The Office shall send 10 days before the elections to the voter by post to his or her residential address in Latvia information regarding the polling station in the electoral roll of which he or she has been included if:

1) the voter has notified of a change of the polling station in accordance with the procedures set out in this Law; or

2) in the period from the day of drawing up of the initial electoral rolls the voter has acquired the right to vote in the relevant elections.

Section 18.

Having received a submission regarding postal voting, the polling station commission for postal voting shall under the online data transmission regime make a note in the Register regarding the application of a voter to participate in the relevant elections by postal vote, and specify the address of the voter in the foreign state to which documents for postal voting shall be sent.

Section 19.

(1) The Office shall by 1900 hours on the last, but one day before the elections send to the Central Electoral Commission information regarding those persons who have been included in the rolls sent to electoral commissions, but who subsequent to the sending of the rolls have lost the right to vote in the relevant elections.

(2) The Central Electoral Commission shall inform polling stations of changes in the electoral rolls.

(3) Electoral commissions shall make notes in the electoral rolls in accordance with the procedures specified by the Central Electoral Commission.

Section 20.

The information included in the Register shall be accumulated, deposited to the State archive or destroyed in information systems in accordance with the procedures specified in regulatory enactments regulating the archiving of documented data.

Section 21.

Decisions regarding the inclusion, refusal to include or exclusion of a person from the Register may be contested in a court in accordance with the procedures specified in the Administrative Procedure Law. The court shall examine an application not later than within three working days from initiation of the matter.

Informative Reference to a European Union Directive

These Regulations contain legal norms arising from Directive 93/109/EC.

This Law shall come into force on 5 February 2004.

This 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 © 2004 Tulkošanas un terminoloģijas centrs (Translation and Terminology Centre)