GYLA Files for Annulment of All Machine-Voting Precinct Results

On October 30, the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) reported that it had filed complaints with the district election commission, demanding the annulment of the results of all precincts in the districts where electronic technology was used – 2263 precincts in total. According to Nona Kurdovanidze, the chair of the watchdog, the annulment of these results would require the holding of new elections, as it will have a significant impact on the overall results of the elections.

The GYLA emphasized that the secrecy of the ballot is crucial for protecting the constitutional right to free elections. According to the OSCE/ODIHR standards, the secrecy of the ballot should be absolute at all stages of the election, especially at the time of voting. This principle is also enshrined in the European Convention, which requires elections to be held by secret ballot to ensure the free expression of the will of the people. The European Court of Human Rights underscores this as a unique obligation of states to protect the right of voters to choose their representatives freely and without undue influence.

Despite this, GYLA reported that Georgia’s Central Election Commission (CEC) failed to ensure the secrecy of the ballot in the 2024 parliamentary elections. The ruling Georgian Dream party installed cameras in polling stations, some of which captured views of sensitive areas such as registration desks, verification machines, voting booths, and the main ballot box, compromising voter privacy. In addition, the ballots were thin enough that you could see a colored circle on the back indicating who someone voted for.

The organization noted that although it raised these concerns with the CEC prior to the elections, the CEC assured them that the final ballots would ensure privacy – a promise that was ultimately not kept, resulting in significant privacy concerns and potential voter influence.

Kurodvanidze also noted that the watchdog identified 589 violations on the election day and appealed to the Prosecutor to investigate them. GYLA’s observation mission presented:

• 11 complaints on violations identified during the pre-election period;
• 589 violations / bad practices registered by GYLA on the day of the election;
• Annulment of the summary protocols – in addition to requisting the annulment of 2263 technologically equipped precincts, additional annulment is requested for 1 traditional precinct;
• Annulment of the summary protocol of 460 precincts and recalculation of the results;
• In the case of 349 precincts, to impose disciplinary responsibility on the member of the relevant precinct commission.

Also Read:

• 30/10/2024 – Prosecutor Launches Investigation into Election Fraud Allegations, Summons President for Questioning
• 29/10/2024 – Int’l Watchdog Detects Signs of Alleged Wide-Scale Elections Rigging
• 28/10/2024 – Georgian Opposition, Observers Collect Evidence to Reveal Alleged Vote Fraud Scheme
• 28/10/2024 – Observer Mission Talks of Main Scheme of Large-Scale Election Fraud, Seeks Annulment of Results from 189 Polling Stations

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