The Progressive Bulgaria (PB) parliamentary group has submitted amendments to the Electoral Code that would restore machine voting as the standard method of casting ballots in most polling stations. Under the proposal, only polling stations with fewer than 300 registered voters, mobile polling stations, medical facilities, nursing homes, social care institutions and polling stations on Bulgarian-flagged vessels abroad would continue using paper ballots.
PB parliamentary group leader Petar Vitanov said the party would formally submit the bill to parliament, making it possible for the new rules to be in place ahead of the presidential election expected this fall. He also announced that the proposal would eliminate the multi-member electoral district for voters abroad and restore the previous system of 31 electoral districts.
According to the party, exclusive machine voting would speed up the election process, eliminate invalid ballots, simplify vote-counting protocols and reduce counting errors caused by combining paper and machine ballots. Election commissions would still count the machine-generated control receipts after voting ends as an additional safeguard to ensure the integrity of the results.
