Every citizen of Kosovo who registers to vote from abroad via mail will now receive the ballot directly to their address, as per a newly adopted regulation by the Central Election Commission (CEC), Ekonomia Online reports. This new rule was included in the Electoral Regulation on Voting Outside Kosovo, which was approved during the CEC’s most recent meeting. The adoption of this updated regulation comes ahead of the expected announcement of local elections.
In previous elections, diaspora voters had to download the ballot themselves from the CEC’s website and send the completed ballot by mail to a designated CEC postal box. Under the new regulation, as explained by CEC member Ilir Gashi, a voter registered abroad to vote by mail will be allowed to vote only with the ballot received at their registered address outside Kosovo. “A registered voter abroad can vote only with the ballot sent to them by mail at their address,” said Gashi.
CEC will cover the cost of mailing the ballot to the voter. The voter must cover the cost of sending the completed ballot back to the CEC’s postal address a procedure that remains unchanged. The total financial cost to the state budget for mailing ballots will be determined later, according to CEC officials during the meeting.
In the last parliamentary elections on February 9, 84,600 Kosovars had registered to vote by mail. Additionally, the new process will require voters to upload a real-time photo of themselves when registering — a measure that will be handled through the CEC’s electronic platform, aimed at boosting the integrity and security of the voting process.
These regulatory changes are part of efforts to improve the integrity of diaspora voting, an area often surrounded by complaints and allegations of irregularities. During the meeting, CEC Chairman Kreshnik Radoniqi asked whether these significant changes could be implemented effectively. He was assured by other members that the process had been carefully evaluated. In the end, the regulation was adopted with 9 votes in favor and 1 abstention. The only abstention came from Radoniqi himself, citing concerns over the implementation of these changes.
