High voter turnout eclipsing 7.5% has been noted in the preliminary stages of the Latvian local elections
Latvian Municipal Elections Face Technical Challenges
The 2025 Latvian municipal elections have been marked by some technical challenges, particularly with the introduction of new automatic vote-counting machines and the online voter registration system.
The State Digital Development Agency (VDAA), responsible for maintaining the local government electoral system, has been at the forefront of these issues. The agency was tasked with delivering the ballot scanning system as part of a €1.8 million digital election modernization project.
The automatic vote-counting machines, intended to expedite ballot scanning and result tabulation, experienced severe malfunctions, forcing a reversion to a manual count on election night. This led to significant delays in announcing both provisional and final results, casting a shadow of uncertainty over the elections.
Additional complications arose from disruptions to the online voter register, with the system experiencing issues after 5 p.m. on Wednesday during preliminary voting. The initial assumption was that these disruptions were due to a potential external threat, but it was later clarified that they were caused by an unprecedented high demand for the service.
Despite public assurances from VDAA leadership that problems were resolved before election day, the system failed under operational conditions. These systemic issues have highlighted gaps in the digital infrastructure and preparedness of electoral administration in Latvia during this election cycle.
In the lead-up to the main election day on Saturday, June 7th, there are two more days of early voting. Polling stations will be open from 08:00 to 11:00 on Thursday, June 5th, and from 12:00 to 15:00 on Friday, June 6th.
Regional breakdowns of early voting activity include:
- Rīga region: 9.44%
- Kurzeme: 5.69%
- Vidzeme: 7.82%
- Zemgale: 5.99%
- Latgale: 6.26%
The municipalities with the highest turnout so far are:
- Ādaži: 10.1%
- Salaspils: 9.76%
- Saulkrasti: 9.98%
On the other hand, Rēzekne municipality has the lowest turnout among the four previous days with 4.25%, while Bauska and Kuldīga municipalities have 4.85% and 4.71% turnout respectively.
It is worth noting that there were no significant hitches on Tuesday. The disruption on Monday evening was not repeated in subsequent days, and the system resumed operations around 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, allowing the election process to proceed according to the usual voting procedure.
These challenges underscore the importance of robust digital infrastructure and preparedness in the electoral process, as Latvia continues to modernize its election systems.
- The 2025 Latvian municipal elections, held during the digital election modernization project, encountered technical challenges, especially with the implementation of new automatic vote-counting machines and an online voter registration system.
- The State Digital Development Agency (VDAA), responsible for the local government electoral system, faced issues delivering the ballot scanning system as part of its €1.8 million project.
- On election night, the automatic vote-counting machines malfunctioned, causing a manual count and significant delays in announcing results. Additionally, the online voter register experienced issues during preliminary voting due to high demand.
- The Latvian municipal elections highlighted gaps in the digital infrastructure and preparedness of electoral administration, emphasizing the importance of robust digital systems in the electoral process, particularly in regions like Rīga, Kurzeme, Vidzeme, Zemgale, Latgale, and during politics and general news reporting.
