General Right to Vote
Constitution
(1922, last amended 2007)

• Chapter II, section 8 states, “All citizens of Latvia who enjoy full rights of citizenship and, who on election day have attained eighteen years of age shall be entitled to vote.”
• Chapter II, section 9 states, “Any citizen of Latvia, who enjoys full rights of citizenship and, who is more than twenty-one years of age on the first day of elections may be elected to the Saeima.”
• Chapter III, section 37 states, “Any person who enjoys full rights of citizenship and who has attained the age of forty years may be elected President. A person with dual citizenship may not be elected President.”

Exclusion Based on Intellectual Disability
Electoral Law
Saeima Election Law
(1998, last amended 2010)

• Article 2 states, “Persons who have been adjudged incompetent by a court shall not be eligible to vote.”
• Article 5 states, “Persons are not to be included in the candidate lists and are not eligible to be elected to the Saeima if they... 1) have been recognised as incompetent in accordance with the procedure set by law...4) have committed a criminal offence in a state of mental incompetency or a state of limited mental competency who, after committing a crime, have become mentally ill and are incapable of taking conscious action or controlling it and as a result have been subjected to compulsory medical treatment or their cases have been dismissed without applying such a compulsory measure.”
• Article 12, section (3) states, “The candidate’s name shall be deleted on tbe basis of...4)...the candidate has committed a criminal offence in a state of incompetency, a state of limited mental competency or has become mentally ill after committing a crime...”

The Election Law on City and Town Councils, District Councils and Pagasts Councils
(1994, last amended 2004)

• Article 6 states, “The following persons shall have no right to elect the council:...1) who have been pronounced incapacitated according to the procedure stipulated by law.”
• Article 9, section (1) states, “The following persons shall not be nominated as candidates for the council election and shall not be elected to the councils...2) who are recognized as incapacitated in accordance with the procedure set by law.”

Law on Elections to the European Parliament
(2004, last amended 2008)

• Section 3 states, “In the Republic of Latvia, the following persons do not have the right to elect the European Parliament...1)persons who according to procedures prescribed by law are recognised as lacking the capacity to act.”
• Section 5, subsection 91) states, “A person may not be nominated as a candidate in elections to the European Parliament and may not be elected to the European Parliament if he or she in the Republic of Latvia...1) has been recognised as lacking the capacity to act according to the procedures prescribed by law.”

Exclusion Based on Physical Disability
Electoral Law
Saeima Election Law
(1998, last amended 2010)

• Article 11, section 4 states, “The following data concerning the candidate confirmed by his/her signature...g) self-assessment of Latvian language proficiency.”

Election Law on City and Town Councils, District Councils and Pagasts Councils
(1994, last amended 2004)

• Article 17, section 3 states, “The following data signed by every candidate on the list...g)self-assessment of Latvian language proficiency.”

Voter Assistance
Electoral Law
Saeima Election Law
(1998, last amended 2010)

• Article 25 states, “If a physical handicap prevents a voter from voting or signing in the voters' list, a member of his/her family or some other trustworthy person shall make notes in the ballot paper in the voter’s presence according to his/her instructions. A special entry to this effect shall be made in the voters' list. A member of the relevant election commission may not act as such a trustworthy person."

The Election Law on City and Town Councils, District Councils and Pagasts Councils
(1994, last amended 2004)

• Article 33 states, “If the voter, due to a physical disability, cannot vote him/herself, then in the presence of the voter and in conformity with the voter’s oral specifications, marks shall be made on the election ballot by the voter’s family member or any other person that the voter trusts.  The person who makes the marks shall not be a member of the respective election commission.”

Law on Elections to the European Parliament
(2004, last amended 2008)

• Section 25 states, “If due to a physical disability a voter cannot himself or herself vote or sign the electoral roll, in the presence of the voter and on the basis of his or her instruction notations on the ballot paper shall be made or the electoral roll shall be signed by either a family member of the voter or another person whom the voter trusts or who has been authorised by the voter. A relevant notation shall be made in the electoral roll regarding this.  Such person may not be a member of the relevant polling station commission.”

Off-Site Voting
Electoral Law
Saeima Election Law
(1998, last amended 2010)

• Article 24 section (1) states, “If any voter is unable to come to the polling station for health reasons, then on the basis of a written request filed by the voter or a person authorised by him/her and registered in a special journal, the polling station commission shall conduct voting by secret ballot at a place where the voter is located. Specially authorised observers shall have the right to supervise such voting.”
• Article 24, section (2) states, “Voting where the voter is located (on-site) may also be organized for the caregivers of the persons specified in Paragraph 1 of this Article, provided they have filed a written request in due time.”
• Article 24, section (5) states, “Names of the voters who vote on-site as provided in Paragraphs (1) and (2) of this Article shall be entered in a separate voters’ list, and their sealed ballot envelopes shall be put into a separate sealed ballot box.”

The Election Law on City and Town Councils, District Councils and Pagasts Councils
(1994, last amended 2004)

• Article 32, section (1) states, “If, for health reasons, an individual voter cannot arrive at the polling station, the election commission, upon the voter’s or the person’s authorized by his/her written request, registered in a special journal, organize voting where the voter is located, securing voting in secrecy.  Voting may be observed by authorized observers.”
• Article 32, section (2) states, “Voting at the place of location is organized also for caregivers of voters referred to in part one of this Article upon a timely written request for voting at the place of location.”
• Article 32, section (6) states, “Voters who in accordance with part one and two of this Article vote at their place of location are registered in a separate list of voters and voters shall drop the election ballot in a separate ballot box.”

Law on Elections to the European Parliament
(2004, last amended 2008)

• Section 28, subsection (1) states, “If a voter due to his or her state of health is unable to come to the election premises, the polling station commission shall, on the basis of a written submission from such a voter or his or her authorised person which shall be registered in a special journal, organize voting at the place where the voter is located, ensuring secrecy.”
• Section 28, subsection (2) states, “Voting at the place where a voter is located shall be organized also for the carers of the persons referred to in the Paragraph one of this Section if they submit in good time a written submission regarding voting at the place where they are located.”
• Section 30, subsection (1) states, “If on polling day a voter due to his or her state of health is in an inpatient medical treatment institution, irrespective of the fact in the electoral roll of which polling station he or she is registered, voting shall be organized at the place where such voter is located.”

• Constitution - http://aceproject.org/ero-en/regions/europe/LV/the-constitution-of-the-republic-of-latvia-as/view
• The Saeima Election Law - http://web.cvk.lv/pub/public/28126.html
• The Election Law on City and Town Councils, District Councils and Pagasts Councils - http://web.cvk.lv/pub/public/28157.html
• Law on Elections to the European Parliament - http://web.cvk.lv/pub/public/29098.html