Electoral address of IDPs - the main problem of future elections
Kyiv • UNN
In Ukraine, the preparation of legislative proposals for organizing future elections in post-war conditions is underway, and key discussions are already focusing on how to ensure the right to vote for millions of citizens who have changed their place of residence due to the war.
Currently, the most problematic issue concerning the upcoming elections in Ukraine remains the issue of the electoral address, particularly for internally displaced persons. This was reported by People's Deputy and human rights activist Tamila Tasheva during a meeting of the Working Group on the preparation of comprehensive legislative proposals regarding the specifics of organizing and conducting elections, which took place on February 20, UNN reports.
Realization of electoral rights of IDPs
As Tasheva explained, the most discussions were caused by the proposal regarding an automatic procedure related to determining the voting parameters for IDPs registered in the occupied territories.
The subgroup supported granting the CEC access to the IDP register but warned that the data in it might not be fully up-to-date for all categories of citizens.
According to the parliamentarian, the subgroup discussed the identification of voters between registers and concluded that it is advisable to use a unique identifier – the tax number (RNOKPP) – to simplify data matching. Representatives of the Ministry of Digital Transformation and the Ministry of Social Policy were invited to the discussions.
Also, as the co-chair of the subgroup noted, during the discussion, emphasis was placed on the need to inform the voter about changes in voting parameters, but the mechanism for such informing requires a technical solution. Possible channels mentioned included postal messages, email, mobile communication, and the "Diia" application.
Regarding the change of electoral address and polling place, Tasheva reported that the subgroup generally supported the proposed wording of the relevant articles of the draft, which provide for an application-based principle in paper or electronic form. At the same time, some participants raised the issue of confirming the new electoral address with documents (for example, an IDP certificate or a lease agreement), as well as the possible strengthening of responsibility for providing inaccurate data.
As a separate block, the subgroup considered the issue of voting documents for citizens from the occupied territories.
As Tasheva explained, some of these voters may not have valid documents, particularly due to expiration or unglued photos during specified age periods, and the validity of certain norms regarding the validity of expired documents is limited to the period of martial law. In this regard, the subgroup discussed the possibility of using a certificate for return to Ukraine as a document that could enable participation in elections immediately upon arrival in controlled territory, but the implementation of this approach may require changes to government procedures, including the procedure for issuing such a certificate.