Four referendums, one ballot box visit: vote early on one question and you can't return Sunday for the rest
From today until Thursday, Slovenia is voting early in four referendums, with the official voting day on Sunday. The director of the State Election Commission warns: every voter goes to the polling station only once, no matter how many ballots they cast.
Illustration: AI
From today until Thursday, Slovenia is voting early in four referendums, which are officially due on Sunday, 11 October. There are ninety-nine polling stations across all electoral districts, open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The ballots include one legislative referendum, on an amendment to the law on parliamentary inquiries, and three consultative ones: on abolishing the RTV licence fee (the public broadcaster's levy), on making cash social assistance conditional on community service, and on voting rights for citizens of third countries in local elections. The result of the consultative referendums is not binding, which means the government can quietly shelve the will of the people in a drawer once the result is announced.
No registration is needed for early voting, a personal ID is enough. The trap lies elsewhere. Igor Zorčič, director of the State Election Commission, explained to Radio Slovenija how the system works:
"Someone who went to vote early and decided of their own accord, that is, that they will discard or fill in only one ballot, does not have the right to come on Sunday and vote in the remaining three referendums as well. A voter goes to the polling station only once." (translated)
Put differently: anyone who casts only the ballot for the question that interests them most at the polling station and leaves the other three blank will not be allowed to return on Sunday for the remaining three. One move, one visit, no matter how many referendums are on offer.
The geography of voting has also changed. Until now Ljubljana had no single early voting station for all districts, but this year each Ljubljana electoral district has its own, except Ljubljana Vič Rudnik 1, which has two. Locations have also changed in the electoral districts of Žalec 2, Velenje 2 and Laško. Voters can check where they belong with the online polling station finder on the State Election Commission's website.
For those who will be outside their district on referendum day, ill, or without permanent residence in Slovenia, there are special forms of voting, such as voting at home or at a polling station in another district. The registration deadline expires on Wednesday.
Virtually all major media reported on early voting in a single morning, which says more about an empty October news day than about electoral law.
Sources
- Začelo se je predčasno glasovanje na štirih referendumih, potekalo bo do četrtka „Nekdo, ki je šel predčasno glasovat in se je odločil po svoji volji, se pravi, da bo odvrgel samo ali pa izpolnil samo eno glasovnico, ne pomeni, da ima pravico priti v nedeljo in glasovati še na preostalih treh referendumih. Volivec gre samo enkrat na volišče.“
- Začenja se predčasno glasovanje pred nedeljskimi referendumi, tokrat nekaj sprememb „DZ je za 11. oktober razpisal štiri referendume.“
- Začenja se predčasno glasovanje pred nedeljskimi referendumi „Volivci lahko predčasno glasujejo le v okraju stalnega prebivališča, prijava na predčasno glasovanje ni potrebna, volivci potrebujejo le osebni dokument za identifikacijo.“
- Začenja se predčasno glasovanje pred nedeljskimi referendumi „Volivci, ki želijo predčasno oddati svoj glas, bodo to lahko vse tri dni storili med 7. in 19. uro na enem od 99 volišč v vseh volilnih okrajih.“
- Sprememba pred referendumi: preverite, kje lahko od danes glasujete
- Začenja se predčasno glasovanje pred nedeljskimi referendumi
Saj ni res. is an independent Slovenian newsroom. This is an English translation of our Slovenian story; the Slovenian original is authoritative.
