RIK postpones decision on new voting booths amid concerns over ballot secrecy and potential electoral fraud

Serbia's Republic Electoral Commission (RIK) has deferred a decision on implementing new voting booths, a move that highlights ongoing debates about electoral integrity and potential fraud. The proposed booths, designed to be fully enclosed on four sides with a curtained front, aim to enhance the secrecy of the ballot, a recommendation echoed by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).

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We are against these booths, I do not want to legalize and enable anything illegal to be done behind this booth.

During a RIK working group session, members expressed divided opinions. Some argued that the new design would effectively guarantee voting secrecy, referencing ODIHR's specific examples of such booths used in other European countries. However, significant concerns were raised regarding the substantial cost of equipping over 8,000 polling stations nationwide, with some members labeling it an irrational expenditure. The practicality and effectiveness of these elaborate booths were also questioned, with claims that similar systems do not function well in many European nations.

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The question of arranging the polling station is repeated in the recommendations of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).

Fears of electoral manipulation loomed large in the discussion. Critics warned that the proposed booths could facilitate new forms of fraud, such as photographing ballots or enabling the "Bulgarian train" scheme, where voters are allegedly given a marked ballot to swap with a blank one inside the booth. One member suggested that if curtains were to be used, they should be shortened to cover only the voter's head and shoulders. The debate also touched upon the long-standing nature of this issue, with discussions about voting booth designs recurring for approximately 20 years.

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The procurement of booths would represent an irrational expenditure of money.