Five Parties Propose Major Voting Law Changes in Bulgaria
Bulgaria’s parliamentary legal committee has begun discussing draft laws that propose significant changes to the country’s electoral system. The bills, submitted by parties ranging from "Revival" to "There Is Such a People," aim to eliminate manual vote counting, introduce active voter registration, and limit the number of sections in countries outside the European Union.
A total of five bills have been introduced, each with its own unique propositions. "There Is Such a People" (ITN) suggests reducing the number of sections in embassies and consulates abroad to no more than 20. Additionally, ITN proposes replacing vote-counting devices with scanners and creating precinct committees to manage the counting process.
The "Democratic Bulgaria" coalition seeks to establish counting centers and special counting commissions. Their proposal entails securing ballot boxes with a unique numbered strip and using closed-circuit television to monitor the counting process. They also suggest dividing electoral commissions based on the size of the electorate in respective municipalities.
Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) advocates for an active registration system. They propose including all voters from the last election in initial ballot lists, with provisions for late additions up to five days before the vote. BSP also proposes experimental machine counting in future parliamentary elections, with rules set by the Central Election Commission (CEC).
"Continue the Change" (PP) wants to phase out manual vote counting, replacing it with scanner machines for tallying paper ballots. PP also proposes a system that scans IDs in real-time, ensuring voters cannot vote twice. They suggest revising the CEC’s structure after each election to reflect a more equitable representation of political forces.
The push for these reforms comes in response to widespread voting irregularities during the October 2021 elections, which were consequently challenged in the Constitutional Court. The "Harlem Coalition" — a alliance between GERB, DPS, and BSP — had previously undermined the mandatory use of voting machines by turning them into simple printers.
These proposed changes signal a concerted effort by Bulgarian political parties to strengthen the electoral process, bolster transparency, and rebuild public trust in the voting system.
