DPRK adopts acts for October referendums, key voting dates known

The Slovenian Electoral Commission (DVK) has approved acts for the conduct of four simultaneous referendums scheduled for October 11. Early voting will take place between October 6 and 8. The referendum campaign begins on September 11. Voters will decide at the polling station whether they wish to vote on all or individual referendums. On October 11, a legislative referendum on the amendment to the law on parliamentary inquiry will be held alongside three advisory referendums. These include one on abolishing the mandatory payment of contributions to the Slovenian Radio and Television (RTVS), another on conditioning the right to financial social assistance with active involvement of employable beneficiaries in community service work, and a third on voting rights in local elections. Due to the simultaneous nature of the referendums, the DVK has decided that voters participating in the referendum can choose, at their discretion, which referendum(s) they wish to vote on. “This exhausts the right to vote on referendums. Voting on referendums for which a decision was not made will no longer be possible afterward,” officials noted. Referendum preparations have already begun, with local electoral commissions required to determine polling stations for the referendums by September 8. Voters who will be abroad on the day of the vote and wish to vote by post from abroad must submit their application for voting by September 25. Five days later, on September 30, the deadline for submitting applications for postal voting within Slovenia will expire, including for voters in hospitals, social welfare institutions, detention centers, or prisons. Additional applications for postal voting due to unforeseen circumstances will be accepted until October 5. The deadline for submitting applications for home voting and voting at polling stations under the Omnia system ends on October 7. In addition to the schedule of referendum procedures, the DVK also adopted guidelines for the operation of electoral committees and boards, along with a decision on the form and content of ballot papers for the referendums. The referendum campaign starts on September 11, with early voting available from October 6 to 8. Voters will make their choice at the polling station regarding participation in specific referendums. The DVK emphasized that once a voter decides on which referendums to participate in, they lose the ability to vote on others afterward. The deadlines for various voting methods have been set, with the earliest expiring on September 8. Those wishing to vote by mail from abroad must apply by September 25, while those inside Slovenia need to apply by September 30. An additional period for unexpected situations allows postal voting applications until October 5. Applications for home voting and voting at polling stations under the Omnia system must be submitted by October 7. A new website, mocljudem.si, launched by the organization Danes je nov dan, compiles current public initiatives in one place. It aims to provide users with easy access to information about each initiative and ways to support or participate in them. The site highlights several initiatives, including a referendum against the amendment to the law on parliamentary inquiry, commonly referred to as political police, and against the law on intervention measures for the development of Slovenia, known among initiators as the dismantling law. Another initiative targets the amendment to the law on local elections, which seeks to revoke voting rights from women and citizens of third countries residing permanently in Slovenia. The organization stated that the government is attempting to create chaos and public apathy by introducing harmful laws continuously. They emphasized that these efforts would not succeed. Users are encouraged to check how they can support these initiatives and help achieve their goals.