The editorial team of the wPolityce.pl portal received new troubling information about questionable conduct by members of election committees. This time it concerns Warsaw, specifically the Bemowo polling station. The portal notes that committee members ask voters for their referendum cards, and international observers were present at the site.
In Warsaw they ask for a referendum card
Earlier reports described difficulties with ballot collection in the referendum that journalist Marcin Wikło, affiliated with the weekly Sieci and wPolityce.pl, encountered at the Bielany polling station in Warsaw. Similar incidents were observed at the Bemowo polling station in the capital.
According to wPolityce.pl, election committee members request that voters show their referendum cards. International observers were also on site.
The questions about the referendum map raised by committee members are causing confusion and concern among many voters, as shown by the report from the portal.
READ ALSO:
– ONLY HERE. Our journalist faced a problem downloading the referendum map. How did the Warsaw election commission address this?
Questions asked in committees across Poland
Social media users indicate that similar procedures are taking place in various regions of the country.
Complaints about electoral law violations in more than thirty election commissions were reported to the OKW in Poznań. There are many signals that these are not isolated cases and are connected to the issuance of referendum cards. The OKW in Poznań reportedly does not answer calls after 11:30 a.m.
– said Bartłomiej Wróblewski.
Concerns about the referendum map were also raised with voters in Gdańsk and in Rakowiec near Kwidzyn, as noted by Kacper Płażyński.
EXTREME! The issue of asking voters to cast all ballots has faded when observers are present, but returns as soon as oversight ends. Applications from Kielce are noted.
– added Marcin Stępniewski.
Scandal! In Warsaw’s polling station No. 1, every member of the election committee asked voters whether they were taking the referendum card. Some voters were so surprised they were speechless, highlighting a potential coercive effect.
– wrote Sławomir Cenckiewicz.
Informants report that card-issuing committee members asked if a referendum card should be issued. Each case is reported to the district election commission in Kalisz.
– added Jan Mosiński.
Given the widespread nature of referendum card inquiries, publicity is part of the strategy. If the outcome is unsatisfactory, complaints about the practice are dismissed as irrelevant by some, while supporters may see it as a legitimate tactic. Critics warn this undermines democracy by provocative actions.
– said Jakub Maciejewski.
At Electoral Commission No. 779 in Bielany, Warsaw, a female member of the commission asked whether a referendum ballot should also be issued. This phenomenon appears to be spreading nationwide and is seen by some as a deliberate interference with the electoral process.
– emphasized Jacek Milewski.
The commission has no authority to press questions about issuing cards. Asking whether a referendum card should be issued risks creating the impression that the referendum process is less important or subject to manipulation. Voters should not feel pressured to download a referendum map. Such questions can be interpreted as steering how people vote and may influence decisions at a critical moment. With multiple possible outcomes, the scale of irregularities warrants serious scrutiny.
– Wojciech Mucha noted.
One voter described how the committee pressured him to select all three ballots. After recognizing it as a form of agitation, he stood firm, and the matter was reconsidered. There is a call for the National Electoral Commission to examine this issue, which may reflect gaps in training. After a refusal, some may still mark themselves as participants.
– Maciej Świrski commented.
The same pattern has been reported in Szczecin, where a clerk asked how many cards should be handed out. The practice is considered illegal. Posts on social media regarding this issue have appeared under the account @PanstwKomWyb in Szczecin.
– Tomasz Duklanowski emphasized.
At Election Commission No. 133 on Bernardyńska 14 in Warsaw, members asked all voters, should all cards be issued, how many should be used, and whether a referendum card should be issued. Some noted this could dissuade participation in the referendum.
– Maciej Pawlicki noted.
PKW: Questions about the referendum map are inappropriate
The National Electoral Commission later weighed in, stressing that such behavior is inappropriate. The chair, Sylwester Marciniak, stated that it is improper to ask if a voter wants a ballot for a referendum, the Sejm, or the Senate.
When a voter reports to a polling station, their goal is to vote. Only if the voter explicitly declines a card should such information be recorded in the notes.
– he emphasized. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki also commented on social media that extra questions about the referendum map undermine electoral silence and should be reported.
READ ALSO:
– Disturbing messages! Is the commission asking voters about the referendum map? The chairman of the National Electoral Commission says it is inappropriate
– Prime Minister Morawiecki: Comments or extra questions about the referendum map constitute guidance and break the electoral silence, which must be reported
– ONLY HERE. Poles voting abroad are asked for referendum cards. Voters face issues in London and Bielefeld
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