- In Blagoevgrad & Beyond
- 12/03/2026 18:00
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After mass protests and the resignation of the government, on April 19, Bulgarians are electing representatives to the 52nd National Assembly.
In the past, the Bulgarian elections have been riddled with issues like buying votes, manipulated counting, and even results.
One way to prevent irregularities is by increasing civic participation in the electoral process. There are various opportunities and initiatives that support this, available to both Bulgarian and non-Bulgarian citizens.
What is Section Committee Member?
Members of the section committee are the people who have to make sure the election process is going smoothly. The committee consists of around 7 people and are responsible for several different tasks.
Firstly, every committee has a chairman, vice-chairman and secretary. Their main responsibilities are to supervise the other members, to fill the protocols with the results at the end of the day and to deliver the election ballots to the Regional Section Committee. They are responsible for counting and for the overall adherence to the rules and regulations.
Other people in the section can check the voters documents, give ballots or tickets for the election machines and collect them after voting.
What Does a Section Committee Member do?
All representatives have to arrive before the start of the election day, at 7:00 am, to receive instructions. Then, they have to get the section ready and leave after completing their work, once the section closes at 20:00. Throughout the day, committee members have breaks and receive free food and drinks.
The payment for this work depends on the position. For this election, the chairman will get 185 euro, the vice-chairman and the secretary - 170 euro, while all other members in the commission will receive 156 euro.
Becoming a Section Committee Member
Every party in Parliament has a quota for people in different positions in the section committees. This quota is based on the results from the previous elections - more votes then means more people now.
There are several ways for people to get a place on that quota list. Firstly, if they are members of the party or its youth organization. Each party shares this opportunity with its members through its communication channels, allowing them to take part.
Alternatively, you can contact the parties directly or someone you know that has already been part of committee and ask to participate.
“You count”
Besides the state position at the election committee, there are several other initiatives that give opportunities for ordinary citizens to participate in the election process.
“You count” strives to guarantee the fair counting of the votes on election day.
The initiative gathers volunteers with a public registration form. There, everyone can sign up to participate either in person or virtually.
The in-person volunteers have to arrive at their assigned section 1 hour before its closing time. They stay until all votes are counted and make sure the counting is right - the whole commitment is for around 4 hours.
Virtual volunteers on the other hand get access to the cameras in an election section and watch for irregularities with the counting.
After signing up, people from the organization will contact volunteers, give them preparation materials, instructions, and additional information.
“Guard the Elections”
“Guard the elections” is a campaign that searches for volunteers for various positions to ensure whether the rules and regulations are followed throughout the entire election day.
In the registration form, people can sign up not only for the roles mentioned in the previous sections, but also for video reporters and even drone operators.
Despite all Bulgaria’s democratic woes, participation in a more fair and freer election is possible. The change starts with us.
Edited by David Mitov and Vasil Paskov
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