2021 Local Self-Government

Key findings for 16:00:  

According to the information received from ISFED observers, there were facts of tracking of voters inside the polling stations, namely, recording of voter names and personal information by commission members and other persons authorized to be present at polling stations. There were some facts of restriction of the right to observe involving ISFED’s observers, including cases of verbal assaults and pressure/intimidation. Shortcomings pertaining the voters lists and ballot distribution to voters were also reported. Outside polling stations, ISFED observed suspicious gatherings of voters. Facts of tracking of voters were also reported outside several polling stations. 

 

Findings of outside observation (08:00-14:00) 

ISFED gathered information from all 100 precincts, where it has deployed observers of the outside perimeters of the polling station premises. According to the obtained information: 

• Outside 25 polling stations, there were suspicious gatherings of persons. In 12 cases these gatherings took place within the 100-meter range, in 7 cases - beyond the 100-meter range, and in 6 cases - both within and beyond the 100-meter range; 
• At 7 polling stations, there were cases of tracking of voters; 
• Cases of verbal confrontation and pressure were documented at 3 polling stations. Cases of alleged vote buying was reported at 2 polling stations; 
• At 2 polling stations, within 25 meters from the polling station, campaign materials were identified;  
• At 2 polling station, ISFED observers reported organized and systematic mobilization and/or transportation of voters to the polling station;  
• At 2 polling stations, commission members engaged in suspicious communication with the persons standing outside polling stations.   

 

Violations reported from 10:00am-14:00pm   

 

As of now, ISFED observers have reported five cases of restricting the rights of observers, five cases of tracking the voters, 11 violations related to voters’ list and ballot papers, 2 violations of the secrecy of vote, 3 errors in inking procedure and one case of voting without proper documentation.  

 

Restriction of the rights of observers 

• At the polling station #5 of the electoral district #59 (Kutaisi), unidentified persons verbally assaulted and intimidated ISFED’s observer, after the observer identified an alleged case of vote buying near the polling station;  
• At the polling station #33 of the electoral district #70 (Poti), disorder created at the polling station impeded the voting process. Representatives of non-profit organization “Union Green Earth” tried to control the situation at the polling station and restricted other observers to exercise their rights. The commission chairperson tried to resolve the situation, but failed to do so and called the police;  
• At the polling station #29 of the electoral district #67 (Zugdidi), an unidentified person claimed to represent the district election commission. The person was equipped with the voters’ list and was marking the voters who had cast their votes. After ISFED’s observer tried to identify the person, the observer was threatened and asked to leave the polling station. The commission chairperson also pressured and intimidated the observer. The observer was deprived the right to register the complaint at the polling station;  
• At the polling station #38 of the electoral district #67 (Zugdidi), other observers at the polling station pressured ISFED’s observer. They did not let the observer file a complaint, and intervened in the work of the commission;  
• At the polling station #7 of the electoral district #70 (Poti), the queue manager was checking the voters beyond 20 meters from the polling station, making it difficult to observe the process. Observer submitted a relevant complaint, which was met with dissatisfaction by the commission members. Following the complaint, district election commission members, Natia Chikvaidze and Maia Tabukashvili showed up at the polling station. They expressed aggression towards ISFED’s observer, noting that the observer did not have the right to take photos or videos. Notably, these district election commission members had expelled Transparency International Georgia’s observer earlier.  

 

Tracking the voters at the polling station  

• At the polling station #51 of the electoral district #20 (Rustavi), the registrars were taking notes of the sequence numbers of voters in the list, which amounts to illegally tracking of voters;  
• At the polling station #16 of the electoral district #67 (Zugdidi), a registrar is taking notes of the voters in addition to handling the table version of the list, which amounts to illegal processing of data;  
• At the polling station #47 of the electoral district #20 (Rustavi), at around 11:20am a representative of the Georgian Dream entered the polling station and handed the list of voters to the registrar and asked to indicate the sequence numbers of the voters who had cast their votes. The commission chairperson did not react upon the identified violation;  
• At the polling station #49 of the electoral district #79 (Batumi), non-profit organization “Social Environment’s” observer is standing next to the queue manager and is taking the photos of the voters who arrived to cast their vote. The commissioners’ request to stop taking the notes of voters, was ignored by the observer;  
• At the polling station #49 of the electoral district #79 (Batumi), non-profit organization “Education Professional Union’s” observer is standing near the registrars and taking the notes of the voters who had cast their votes.  

 

Violations related to the voters’ list  

• At the polling station #57 of the electoral district #60 (Ozurgeti), a registrar allowed voters included in the mobile ballot box list to sign in the table version of the list. However, the commission chairperson explained that ballot papers were not handed out to those voters;  
• At the polling station #44 of the electoral district #67 (Zugdidi), a voter misplaced signature in the table version of the list. Due to this violation, the registrar submitted the explanatory note;  
• At the polling station #8 of the electoral district #3 (Saburtalo), the registrar allowed a voter to cast the vote at the polling station, although the voter was actually included in the special list of another precinct;  
• At the polling station #13 of the electoral district #10 (Gldani), a voter discovered that another voter had already signed in the designated spot. This voter managed to cast the his/her vote eventually by signing on the designated spot, but the registrar had to submit the explanatory note following the commission chairperson’s notice;  
• At the polling station #12 of the electoral district #17 (Telavi), two voters showed up who were included in the special list of another precinct. The voters were allowed to cast their votes. Due to this violation, following the chairperson’s notice, the registrar submitted an explanatory note;  
• At the polling station #57 of the electoral district #59 (Kutaisi), a voter who was not included in the mobile ballot box list, cast his/her vote through the mobile ballot box;  
• At the polling station #33 of the electoral district #2 (Vake), upon returning the ballot box to the polling station, it was discovered that some signatures were missing. The commission members explained that they forgot to request signatures from the voters;  
• At the polling station #74 of the electoral district #9 (Nadzaladevi), upon returning the ballot box to the polling station, it was discovered that three ballot papers and three envelopes were missing. In particular, before leaving the polling station, there were 40 ballot papers and special envelopes handed to the commission members, however, three of them were absent upon return. Eventually, two envelopes and two ballot papers were returned, but one remains missing;  
• At the polling station #39 of the electoral district #59 (Kutaisi), as of around 14:00pm, one of the registrars had not obtained signatures from approximately 40 voters. 

 

Violations related to ballot papers  

• At the polling station #20 of the electoral district #67 (Zugdidi), commission members carrying the mobile ballot box were handed 30 ballot papers (although 27 voters were registered in the list). Soon after leaving with the mobile ballot box, a voter brought some ballot papers from outside, claiming he/she accidently found them on the ground. The commission chairperson considered that mobile ballot box commissioners had lost these ballot papers and thus, accepted them from the voter;  
• At the polling station #119 of the electoral district #59 (Kutaisi), one of the registrars was not properly handing out the ballot papers. In particular, on 33 ballot papers, electoral district and precinct numbers were not visible. Due to this violation, the registrar received a verbal notice from the chairperson. After the registrar submitted the explanatory note due to the violation, the registrar was substituted.  

Violation of the secrecy of vote 

• At the polling station #20 of the electoral district #70 (Poti), a voter who did not have a need to be accompanied at the voting booth, was accompanied by the observer;  
• At the polling station #57 of the electoral district #79 (Batumi), a voter cast the vote outside of the voting booth, which represents a violation of the secrecy of vote. Upon ISFED’s observer’s notice, this ballot paper was considered spoiled and the voter was given a new ballot paper.  

Violation of the inking procedure 

• At the polling station # 34 of the electoral district #67 (Zugdidi), the inking was applied, although the verification showed that these voters were not included in respective voters list. No explanatory notes were submitted due to this violation;  
• At the polling station #44 of the electoral district #67 (Zugdidi), ink can be removed with sanitation spray;  
• At the polling station #12 of the electoral district #70 (Poti), the ink checking device was not functional. The observer requested addressing the problem and the DEC brought a new device. It turned out that because of the error, the ink checking procedure was not properly conducted for several hours. 

Improper handling of election documentation 

• At the polling station #51 of the electoral district #79 (Batumi), the commission chairperson indicated the 12:00 o’clock turnout figure in the wrong section of the display protocol. 

 

Violations/trends observed outside the polling stations (10:00-14:00)  

As of now, ISFED observers have reported following violations:   

 

Verbal confrontation 

• At the polling station #31 of the electoral district #3 (Saburtalo), there was a verbal confrontation between persons gathered outside the polling station. The incident was resolved after police intervention; 
• At the polling station #88 of the electoral district #67 (Zugdidi), within the 100-meter range, there was a tense situation, with unidentified individuals engaged in verbal confrontation; 
• At the polling station #68 of the electoral district #2 (Vake), there was a verbal confrontation between persons standing outside the polling station. 

Suspicious gathering/movement of persons (within 100-meter range) 

• At the polling station #19 of the electoral district #5 (Isani), persons sitting in a car are periodically communicating with voters; 
• At the polling station #1 of the electoral district #20 (Rustavi), there is a suspicious gathering of persons. According to these persons, they represent the “Georgia First” organization. They are sitting in two cars, with a computer in one of them and voters list in another. They are recording voters in the list; 
• At the polling station #1 of the electoral district #20 (Rustavi), there was a suspicious trend of persons authorized at polling stations exiting the station premises and communicating with each other; 
• At the polling station #98 of the electoral district #79 (Batumi), there was a suspicious gathering of up to 50 persons, who were communicating with voters. The gathering ended shortly. At the same polling station, there were various groups of people, who were aggressively talking to the ISFED’s observer. The incident was resolved after police interference; 
• At the polling station #5 of the electoral district #70 (Poti), there was a suspicious gathering of persons. One of them was calling voters, urging them to vote and offering transportation; 
• At the polling station #90 of the electoral district #59 (Kutaisi), there was a suspicious gathering of persons outside the polling station; 
• At the polling station #33 of the electoral district #7 (Chugureti), persons sitting in a car were communicating with observers; 
• At the polling station #58 of the electoral district #6 (Samgori), there was a person communicating with observers, calling voters and urging them to vote; 
• At the polling station #81 of the electoral district #10 (Gldani), there was an unidentified individual from 08:00 to 10:00, who was talking to voters over the phone and urging them to show up to vote. 

 

Suspicious gathering of persons (beyond 100-meter range)   

• At the polling station #32 of the electoral district #79 (Batumi), there was a gathering of members of the criminal underworld; 
• At the polling station #45 of the electoral district #6 (Samgori), there was a suspicious gathering of persons; 
• At the polling station #31 of the electoral district #3 (Saburtalo), an unidentified person was communicating with voters both before and after they cast their votes.  

 

Mobilization of coordinators and tracking of voters at polling stations 

• At the polling station #60 of the electoral district #59 (Kutaisi), the Georgian Dream representatives are communicating with voters. They are calling voters over the phone and urging them to vote. They are also discussing who among themselves would bring specific voters to the polling stations; 
• At the polling station #5 of the electoral district #70 (Poti), there is a mini-bus with party coordinators. They are communicating with voters, some of whom are entering the mini-bus for a certain period of time, both before and after casting votes; 
• At the polling station #71 of the electoral district #79 (Batumi), there were party coordinators who are communicating with voters. Their party affiliation is unknown. They adjourned shortly after journalists arrived at the polling station; 
• At the polling station #102 of the electoral district #67 (Zugdidi), in a car parked near the polling station, there are reportedly Georgian Dream representatives who are communicating with voters and observers. They have a list and are urging voters over the phone to participate in elections; 
• At the polling station #57 of the electoral district #20 (Rustavi), there is a suspicious gathering of persons in cars, who are recording voters. Part of the voters who had cast their vote were going to these cars before leaving the area; 
• At the polling station #32 of the electoral district #59 (Kutaisi), a Georgian Dream representative transported voters to the polling station multiple times. At the same time, the person was communicating with other voters at the same polling station. 

 

Display of campaign materials within 25 meters from polling stations 

• At the polling station #45 of the electoral district #3 (Saburtalo), there was a poster of the United National Movement displayed within 25 meters from the polling station; 
• At the polling station #28 of the electoral district #70 (Poti), there was a poster of the Georgian Dream mayoral candidate, Beka Vacharadze, displayed within 25 meters from the polling station. 

 

Suspicious communication of observers and/or representatives of election subjects with persons standing outside polling stations 

• At the polling station #32 of the electoral district #59 (Kutaisi), a Georgian Dream representative was communicating with party coordinators gathered beyond the 100-meter range; 
• At the polling station #42 of the electoral district #2 (Vake), there were multiple instances of persons authorized to be present at polling stations, communicating with persons standing outside polling stations. 

 

Complaints and statements 

As of 16:00, ISFED observers have filed 33 complaints at precinct election commissions, 17 complaints at district election commissions and have logged 18 entries in the record book. 

 

Information on the monitoring mission 

The International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) is monitoring the October 30, 2021 Municipal Election runoffs in eight municipalities, including five self-governing cities (Tbilisi, Rustavi, Batumi, Poti and Kutaisi) and 3 self-governing communities (Zugdidi, Ozurgeti and Telavi). ISFED will observe every third polling station in Tbilisi, and every second polling station in the rest of the locations.i 

ISFED’s election day observation mission consists of 27 mobile groups, 544 observers deployed at polling stations and 29 observers deployed at district electoral commissions. ISFED is also observing the outside perimeter of polling stations with 100 observers.ii ISFED operates data and incident processing centers at its headquarters, with 23 operators and 10 lawyers, respectively. 

 

Election day incidents and alleged violations are posted on the interactive map of the Elections Portal - http://www.electionsportal.ge/. Anyone with information on possible violations can report it by sending a text to this toll-free number 90039, or at the web-portal - http://www.electionsportal.ge/geo/new_incident.  

For further information, follow the organization’s Facebook and Twitter accounts.   

 

ISFED will released the next statement at 22:00 pm.   

 

ISFED urges all eligible voters in Georgia to go to the polls and express their free will by voting in favor of a candidate of their choice. ISFED reminds all voters to wear a face mask and adhere to the designated safety procedures when voting, including those registered on the mobile ballot box list.  

ISFED's monitoring mission is made possible by the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the European Union (EU). Monitoring of the outside perimeter of polling stations was made possible by the British embassy in Georgia. The opinions expressed herein belong solely to the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy and do not necessarily reflect the views of the USAID, the United States Government, the EU, or the UK Government.  

 

* In the original version of the statement, findings of outside observation included a case of physical confrontation at one polling station. After a secondary verification, the said fact was reclassified as a verbal confrontation.