Deputies are expected to fast-track today’s approval of a bill that would make it possible for people in quarantine or isolation to vote in the October elections for the Chamber of Deputies. A discussion of a pandemic alert is also on the table. With the coronavirus outbreak receding, some in the Opposition are advocating for its abolition.
According to the proposal, people in quarantine or isolation would be permitted to vote in portable ballot boxes or from their cars, just like they did in last year’s regional elections. Another option is to vote at a residential facility that is closed to the public. Finally, if a pandemic or state of emergency is declared in the Czech Republic due to Covid-19 in mid-September, special voting techniques may be implemented.
Around 16,000 voters were quarantined during the election last year. In each region, an average of 250 people used the option to vote from their vehicles. Voters preferred to vote in a portable ballot box that election commissioners brought to them.