2024-04-08 14:53:44
Before the beginning of the collection of signatures, the CEC recommended to the representatives of candidates that they collect at least 10 percent more signatures of voters than required by the Election Code, as practice shows that some of the signatures are not read during the verification.
A total of 11 candidates collected voter signatures. Gintautas Kniukšta and Arūnas Rimkus did not collect the set number of 20,000 signatures and could no longer continue participating in the elections. Aurelijus Veryga collected the signatures, but submitted a request to withdraw the declaration documents and withdrew from further participation in the elections.
The CEC verified the signatures of the remaining 8 candidates.
Initially, all voter signature collection sheets delivered to the CEC were scanned. Based on the received information, the Lithuanian population register was checked to see if the signatories exist, have the right to vote, have Lithuanian citizenship, have reached the appropriate age, have not signed twice or more, etc.
On the “voter’s page”, where citizens identify themselves by connecting through the Electronic Government Gate, only one signature per candidate is guaranteed. However, when signing on paper signature sheets, some voters add their signature more than once or sign both on the “Voter Page” and on the paper sheet. If such records are detected, none of the voter’s signatures will be read.
It also happens that voters enter incorrect data or provide incomplete data when signing paper signature sheets. The CEC verifies voter data by comparing it with the Lithuanian population register and thus identifies erroneous entries in voter signature sheets. Such signatures are also not legible.
It has been established that a small number of voters who have signed up for candidates electronically on the “Voter’s page” have the right to vote in the municipal elections taking place in Lithuania, but they cannot elect the President of the Republic, so they cannot support the candidates of these elections with their signature either.
The next stage of checking the signature sheets is a visual check of the records. During it, members of the CEC examined each entry on all paper sheets, checked whether all fields on the signature sheets were filled in, whether there was a signature, and whether there were any suspicions that several entries were filled in by the same person.
After this visual inspection, at the suggestion of CEC members last week, the signature collection sheets submitted by Andriaus Mazuronis and Remigijaus Žemaitaitis were handed over to the Lithuanian Forensic Expertise Center so that the handwriting experts working in this institution can check and submit conclusions.
The handwriting examination showed that not all data was filled in and signed by the voters signing the voter signature sheet. There were cases where it was possible to determine from the handwriting pattern that there were two or more entries made by one and the same person, as well as fixed entries where individual fragments of data filled in by one voter were written in different handwriting.
On Friday afternoon, the paper signature sheets from the Lithuanian Forensic Expertise Center returned to the CEC, and over the weekend the CEC members worked on summarizing and counting the voters’ signatures, which, according to handwriting experts, should not be counted.
At the end of the verification, voter signature verification acts were drawn up and the final number of collected signatures was determined.
2024-04-08 14:53:44