A woman who wanted to vote in a medical facility was shocked by the sight she saw – the CEC explained what happened

A woman who wanted to give her voice to a news portal in a treatment facility lrytas.lt said that she did not get such an opportunity, and moreover, she saw a picture that did not inspire confidence at all.

At that time, the Central Election Commission (CEC) explained the procedure for advance voting in special points and assured that the woman had successfully expressed her civic will in the end.

The sight was surprising

“I’ve come from another city, I’m sick, and now I feel like I’ve been denied the right to vote.” Or I’ll have to run away from the hospital on Sunday in order to vote,” in his experience with the news portal lrytas.lt shared by reader Aistė.

The woman said that the employees of the rehabilitation center “Linas” in Palanga informed everyone that those who want to vote in the elections must register – she did so, but the woman could not vote on Wednesday morning.

Members of the election commission informed the woman that she was not on the voter list, and therefore her ballot was missing.

The woman immediately called on the short number of the Central Bureau of Statistics, but the employee who answered the phone, according to Aistė, “doesn’t know what I want or what I’m asking, she just said she’ll get in touch.”

However, Aistė was no less surprised by the way the voting was organized in the medical facility.

“There is no voting observer, the ballot box into which all ballots with sealed envelopes should be dropped is just a simple, cardboard, open box. There is no privacy so that you can vote in peace, because one side of the table is covered, and the other side can look at you, what you are drawing there. Tables are not suitable for patients who are after surgery at all,” she said.

The woman said that she heard the commission member’s promise that her ballot will be printed and brought to her, but the organization of the voting itself, according to her, already raises doubts.

“I don’t know if I’m going to get a ballot or not – and I don’t even trust them to put my envelope in a cardboard box like that.” Where will he go?” – the woman expressed her doubts.

The requirements are different

At that time, CEC representative Indrė Ramanavičienė explained in detail the situation in the Palanga “Lino” sanatorium and the procedure for voting in advance at special points.

As stated by the CEC representative, voters who cannot come to vote due to valid reasons are given the opportunity to vote at their locations. On May 8-10, voting is organized in hospitals, social care and welfare institutions, military units and places of execution of sentences, from which the election commission receives the data of voters wishing to vote in that particular institution at least 2 days before.

“On Wednesday, the members of the election commission came to the voters in Palanga’s “Lino” sanatorium, where they organized voting during the working hours set by this sanatorium. Most voters expressed their civic will successfully.

Upon arriving at the sanatorium, the members of the election commission found out that there were 3 more voters who expressed their desire to vote later than the institution’s management submitted the data of voters who wanted to vote to the election commission.

In such cases, voters not included in the list in advance are asked to provide their personal data and the election commission adds voters to the voter list of that particular institution. This is standard procedure in such cases. It’s just that those voters need to be a little bit distracted and they can vote. This was done in this case as well”, explained I. Ramanavičienė.

The representative of the CEC indicated that the aforementioned woman had already successfully voted in the Palanga Linas sanatorium.

I.Ramanavičienė also explained the conditions of voting in the sanatorium.

“During advance voting, a ballot box is not necessary at the special points, which are located in the closed premises of institutions. Voters’ votes are sealed in advance voting envelopes, from where they travel to the polling station to which the voter is assigned and are kept until the end of voting on Election Sunday, so the secret of voting cannot be revealed in any way.

If a voter voting in a sanatorium or other health care facility prefers to vote in a more private environment, he can always step back and fill out ballots in a place convenient for him,” she advised.