On March 5, 2023, municipal council and mayoral elections will take place, during which the permanent residents of each municipality will elect members of the council and the mayor of their municipality.
What is important to know?
The elections are organized by the Main Electoral Commission. Elections will be held in all 60 Lithuanian municipalities. Each municipality has one municipal council and one mayor. By taking part in the voting, voters will elect them for a four-year term.
The number of council members in each municipality is different. It depends on the number of inhabitants of the municipality.
For example, Vilnius has over half a million inhabitants, which is why the Vilnius City Municipality elects the most numerous council, consisting of 51 members. Birštonas has a population of less than 5,000 people, which is why the smallest self-government council in Lithuania will be elected there – only 15 members.
Who can vote in these elections?
The right to participate in the elections of members of the local government council and the mayor are permanent residents of this local government – citizens of the Republic of Lithuania or citizens of other states who have a residence permit in Lithuania.
Members of the local government council and the mayor can only be elected by those voters who have declared their place of residence in the territory of this local government at least 60 days before the election day. The 60-day deadline before the elections falls on January 4, 2023. Thus, if a voter has already declared his place of residence before this date, he will be able to vote in the elections of members of the council and the mayor of his local government. If a person moved and declared a new place of residence after January 4, he is entitled to vote for the candidates of the municipality in which he lived earlier.
The list of voters is compiled according to the data of the Lithuanian Population Register, which is operated by the state enterprise Register Centras. This avoids the inclusion of a person in the voter lists twice.
According to the Central Electoral Commission, about 2,390,000 voters will have the right to vote in these elections. They will be able to cast their votes in more than 1920 polling stations throughout Lithuania.
You can check whether you are included in the list of voters on the e-services portal www.rinkejopuslapis.lt or by calling the short information number 1855 or special dedicated regular telephone numbers (from February 9, 2023).
Election Notice
The Electoral Code establishes that precinct election commissions distribute election notices among voters. These are informational invitations for eligible residents to come to vote. These notices are delivered personally only to those persons who have the right to vote at home. The rest of the voters will find them in the mailbox at the address of the declared place of residence. Therefore, the Main Electoral Commission urges residents on the eve of the elections, at the end of February, to regularly check their mailboxes.
You should be aware that the notice of elections is an informational document only. It is not necessary to take it with you when you go to vote.
Where and when to vote?
Voters have the right to vote during elections of councils and mayors of local governments not only on election day. Voters who are unable to arrive at the polling station that day may vote early (before election day).
In all cases, when voting, you must have an identity document with you: a citizen’s passport, identity card, driver’s, student or pension card, or any other official document containing a photograph and personal ID of a person.
Citizens of other countries wishing to vote in elections must additionally carry with them a document issued to them by official institutions of the Republic of Lithuania confirming their status as a permanent resident (permit for temporary or permanent residence in Lithuania, depending on whether the person is a citizen of a state of the European Union or No).
Early voting
Voters who are not able to vote on election day have the right to vote in advance on the fixed days in a local government building or in another place designated for voting agreed with the local government administration.
Voting until Election Day will take place on February 28, March 1 and 2, 2023 from 7:00 am to 8:00 pm.
Repeat voting (second round) will take place on 14, 15 and 16 March 2023 from 7:00 to 20:00.
Voting at special voting points
Those voters who are in health care institutions have the right to vote in special points; live in institutions of guardianship or guardianship; serve or work in the military; serve in public service or serve in missions; are serving sentences in places of detention or imprisonment, are in detention facilities or pre-trial detention centers.
Voting at special points will take place on March 1, 2 and 3, 2023 during the opening hours of special points.
The second round at special points will take place on March 15, 16 and 17, 2023 during the opening hours of special points.
The personnel of special points (for example, doctors, nurses or employees of the administration) do not have the right to vote in special points.
Lists of special points before the elections are published on the website of the Main Electoral Commission at the address: www.vrk.lt.
Voting at home
The following can vote at home: voters with disabilities; relatives caring for or caring for people with disabilities at home; voters in self-isolation; persons temporarily disabled due to illness; persons over 70 years of age.
A voter who has the right to vote at home may ask to be granted such an opportunity if he does not wish to go to the polling station. He can fill out an application that he wants to vote at home and give it to the member of the election commission who brought the notice of the election.
An application for voting at home can also be submitted: by calling the short telephone number 1855 or specially allocated ordinary telephone numbers, by e-mail of the local government election commission or on the website www.rinkejopuslapis.lt
If the mayor is not elected in the first ballot, a second round of elections will be organized, which will take place in two weeks, i.e. March 19, 2023 from 7:00 to 20:00.
In the second round, voters will receive only one ballot and will choose one mayor from the two candidates with the most votes in the first round.
Where can I find information about elections?
Reliable information about elections is published on the website of the Main Electoral Commission www.vrk.lt, on the e-services portal Rinkėjo puslapis (“Voter’s Page”) www.rinkejopuslapis.lt and on the accounts of the General Electoral Commission on Facebook and Instagram.
Information by phone
On February 9, 2023, the short number 1855 began to operate, by which you can get information about the elections. This service may be chargeable for some telephone users.
By calling the short number 1885 or specially allocated regular phone numbers, you can find out:
● whether the person is included in the voter lists;
● in which polling station a person can vote;
● the opportunity to vote in advance if the voter is unable to attend their polling station on election day;
● how to vote if a voter falls ill and cannot come to his/her polling station on election day;
● how to contact the district or precinct election commission, find out the address of the election commission and other relevant information for the voter.
A voter who wishes to know whether he is included in the list of voters will be asked to give his name, surname and personal code.
Voter personal data will not be provided on these phones.
By calling the short number 1885 or specially allocated regular telephone numbers, you can also report violations of legal acts regulating elections. Anonymous voter complaints will not be registered.
Possible violations of legal acts regulating elections can always be reported to the Central Electoral Commission by e-mail. mail [email protected].