Voting machine

78 are the polling stations in the country where machine voting has been suspended as of 3:00 PM, according to a decision made by the district electoral commissions, revealed during a meeting of the Central Election Commission (CEC).

A recent analysis by the Institute for the Development of the Public Environment (IRPS) highlights a significant decline in the use of machine voting during Bulgaria's parliamentary elections on June 9. This decline marks a stark contrast to previous elections, where voting technology was a focal point of political discourse and legislative adjustments.

In the decisive runoff for Sofia's mayoral seat, the battle wasn't just between candidates Vasil Terziev and Vanya Grigorova; it extended to the method voters preferred - traditional ballots or electronic machines. A noteworthy 291,000 voters embraced the efficiency of technology, opting for machine voting, while 146,000 adhered to the familiarity of paper ballots.

"Around 20% of the paper ballots cast in the first round of yesterday's local elections were counted as invalid - this is the result of the cancellation of machine voting".

"The Central Election Commission's decision was taken in violation of the Election Code". This was stated by Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov in a statement in front of journalists.

He made serious criticisms of the CEC's decision to stop machine voting.

Elections under the new rules can be held as early as April 2. This was announced by the Chairwoman of the CEC, Kamelia Neikova, during a hearing in the National Assembly in connection with the preparations for holding early parliamentary elections.

The reason is that at an earlier date the supply of the required quantity of secure paper for machine voting cannot be guaranteed:

The government approved the cost plan for the expenses for the preparation and execution of the parliamentary elections on October 2, 2022. The approved funds are in the amount of BGN 70.5(EUR 35.7) million.

"Ciela Norma", the company supplying the voting machines for previous elections is ready to deliver 5,000 voting machines at a price of BGN 5,200 per device, which makes a total of BGN 26 million.

This is clear from a letter sent to the CEC, which was read to the members of the commission by its Deputy Chairman Emil Voynov.

The Central Election Commission has determined the conditions and rules for video recording and video broadcasting, taking into account the results of the voting in the polling stations.

It will take place after the end of the Election day - when the voting is declared over, during which the recording of voters' lists is not allowed.

All 421 voting machines have already been delivered abroad. The machines that will be used in Bulgaria will be delivered to the polling stations on Saturday, the Chairperson of the Central Election Commission  Kamelia Neykova said for the Bulgarian National Television.