Bulgarians will vote on Sunday (October 25) in a referendum on whether to introduce electronic voting, which the country’s reformist leaders hope can change its political landscape and advance their agenda. If the Yes camp wins, electoral law would be amended to give voters the choice of going to the ballot box or staying at home and voting on their computer or tablet. Some 77 percent of voters are likely to vote Yes, according to a poll conducted earlier this month by the Sofia-based Alpha Research agency. It said the referendum turnout is expected to be 49 percent – which would be enough to validate it – compared to 58 percent forecast for the local elections also held on Sunday.
“The remote electronic voting will ensure higher election turnouts,” Bulgarian veteran tennis star Manuela Maleeva said. A tennis world number 3 in 1985, 48-year-old Maleeva heads one of several grassroots campaigns for the Yes camp.
“Bulgarian citizens abroad as well as many citizens in the country will have easier access to participation in elections and referenda,” she said, referring to the 2 million Bulgarian citizens who live outside the country of 7.2 million.
For now, the Bulgarian diaspora, mainly located in the EU and North America, votes in Bulgarian embassies and consular services. But people have been complaining of long distances, insufficient capacity of voting stations and long queues to vote.
Full Article: Bulgaria holds referendum on electronic voting.