CEC Chair: Election Preparations Complete, Tactile Voting Aids Provided for Visually Impaired Voters

All preparations for Sunday’s vote are complete, Central Election Commission (CEC) Chair Kameliya Neykova said in an interview on the “The Day Begins” programme on April 17.

Neykova said that what remains to be finalised by Saturday is the delivery of tactile voting templates, produced by the state printing house, for those regions where it has been decided to provide visually impaired voters with tools enabling them to vote independently.

The tactile template is designed for use with paper ballots and corresponds to the boxes for all registered parties and coalitions. Once the ballot is placed inside, members of the polling station commission assist the voter in positioning and securing the template with paper clips so that the boxes align with the numbers and circles for candidate preferences. The voter can then cast their vote independently. Braille is also available for reading the ballot.

In addition, Neykova noted that the Ministry of e-Governance has developed QR codes for individual electoral districts. These will be displayed at polling stations, allowing voters, via accessibility functions on mobile devices, to access information about candidates and, if they wish, mark a preference.

Addressing concerns about machine voting security, Neykova said: “The machines cannot be manipulated. First, there is the law — the Electoral Code — which defines which state institutions certify the compliance of the machines, software, and their reliability, security and standards compliance. The decisions of these bodies — the Ministry of e-Governance, the Institute of Metrology and the Institute for Standardisation — certify that all requirements are met. All systems are encrypted and all ports are sealed in a way that prevents unsealing. After installation, the machines are checked by state experts together with technicians from ‘Ciela Norma’. Once sealed, external mechanical interference is not possible.”

Each polling station will also receive a video monitoring device — a phone and stand — along with instructions. A QR code must be scanned and the device placed in an appropriate position. If positioned incorrectly, the system will issue an alert and the process must be restarted.

Neykova also said that the mobile application used in the process functions as an electronic protocol. It is available on the CEC website and on the websites of regional election commissions and can be downloaded by anyone wishing to observe how data is entered and how the system works.

She added that members of polling station commissions receive an additional payment of €15 for correctly completed protocols.

Finally, Neykova presented the CEC election map, which shows the exact location of polling stations by region and municipality, including their addresses and numbering.