site.btaElection Commission Chair: Expired Warranty Does Not Mean Voting Machines Cannot Work

Central Election Commission (CEC) Chair Kamelia Neykova Friday said on the Bulgarian National Television that voting machines have a long lifespan, no matter how frequently elections are held, and the expiry of their warranty period does not mean they cannot work.

Most devices were delivered in early 2021 with a three-year warranty period.

While there is no guarantee that all 9,353 voting machines will work without a glitch, the percentage of such problems is relatively small, Neykova said. Even if this happens, people will still be able to vote with a paper ballot.

The CEC chair also said that so far just over 14,000 people have applied to vote at their current address. In the previous election, on June 9, over 80,000 applications were filed. The deadline for submitting applications for voting at one's current address has not expired yet. 

On Wednesday, President Rumen Radev held a meeting with representatives of institutions responsible for the October 27 elections after alerts of vote buying. Neykova said on Friday CEC is in constant contact with the executive, the prosecution service and the State Agency for National Security.