Newsroom
Final Voters List now complete in Kosovo
PRISTINA 4 October 2000
PRISTINA, 4 October 2000 - The Final Voters List is now complete for the municipal elections on 28 October in Kosovo. The list includes 863,000 voters from inside Kosovo and 38,000 outside the area. Voters are now listed with a photo and registration information.
At a news conference in Pristina, the OSCE Head of Mission Ambassador Daan Everts announced that the accuracy rate for the Final Voters List in Kosovo is an estimated 96%. Due to death and change of residency, complete accuracy on voters lists is not possible. Ambassador Everts called the rate for the voters list in Kosovo acceptable, especially considering that the registration process "started from point zero." The margin of error on the list is manageable, particularly since the remaining inaccuracies will not impede on the right to vote. Voters that cannot be found on the final voting list, estimated by OSCE technical experts to be 3-4%, will still be able to vote by a conditional ballot. The eligibility of the conditional ballots will be verified by the OSCE Mission in Kosovo after the election.
In order to ensure that positive identification at the polling station is possible, Ambassador Everts called on voters to bring their registration slip and photo identification. Through this measure, the margin of error stemming from technical problems will decrease.
Everts also acknowledged that there is a problem with misspelled names on the Final Voters List, possibly ranging from 10 to 15%. In these cases the voting process will not be effected, as almost all misspelled names are still recognisable.
The voters list has now been finalised for printing and segmentation for individual polling stations. This list will be available for the Quick Check Programme, beginning on 9 October, to allow voters to check their entry on the final voters list and to enhance transparency. Voters will be advised on what to do on polling day if they are amongst the small group of registered names that cannot be found on the final voting list. These corrections will not appear on the final voters list, but will be added to a supplementary list that will be used on polling day, to decrease the amount of conditional ballots.
In his concluding remarks, Ambassador Everts stated that this voters list is at an acceptable level of quality which the Kosovo electorate can have full confidence in. He personally guaranteed that "the OSCE will pay as much attention to the other preconditions for free and fair elections, namely the regulatory framework, political party support, public information and education, security, independent monitoring, secrecy of the voting, and transparency in every step from the casting of the ballot to counting."
For further information, contact Roland Bless, Spokesperson, OSCE Mission in Kosovo, tel: (+381-38) 500-162 or satphone: 871-762-009-948 ext. 260 / mobile: (+389-70) 250-576 / email: [email protected] or website: //www.osce.org/kosovo
At a news conference in Pristina, the OSCE Head of Mission Ambassador Daan Everts announced that the accuracy rate for the Final Voters List in Kosovo is an estimated 96%. Due to death and change of residency, complete accuracy on voters lists is not possible. Ambassador Everts called the rate for the voters list in Kosovo acceptable, especially considering that the registration process "started from point zero." The margin of error on the list is manageable, particularly since the remaining inaccuracies will not impede on the right to vote. Voters that cannot be found on the final voting list, estimated by OSCE technical experts to be 3-4%, will still be able to vote by a conditional ballot. The eligibility of the conditional ballots will be verified by the OSCE Mission in Kosovo after the election.
In order to ensure that positive identification at the polling station is possible, Ambassador Everts called on voters to bring their registration slip and photo identification. Through this measure, the margin of error stemming from technical problems will decrease.
Everts also acknowledged that there is a problem with misspelled names on the Final Voters List, possibly ranging from 10 to 15%. In these cases the voting process will not be effected, as almost all misspelled names are still recognisable.
The voters list has now been finalised for printing and segmentation for individual polling stations. This list will be available for the Quick Check Programme, beginning on 9 October, to allow voters to check their entry on the final voters list and to enhance transparency. Voters will be advised on what to do on polling day if they are amongst the small group of registered names that cannot be found on the final voting list. These corrections will not appear on the final voters list, but will be added to a supplementary list that will be used on polling day, to decrease the amount of conditional ballots.
In his concluding remarks, Ambassador Everts stated that this voters list is at an acceptable level of quality which the Kosovo electorate can have full confidence in. He personally guaranteed that "the OSCE will pay as much attention to the other preconditions for free and fair elections, namely the regulatory framework, political party support, public information and education, security, independent monitoring, secrecy of the voting, and transparency in every step from the casting of the ballot to counting."
For further information, contact Roland Bless, Spokesperson, OSCE Mission in Kosovo, tel: (+381-38) 500-162 or satphone: 871-762-009-948 ext. 260 / mobile: (+389-70) 250-576 / email: [email protected] or website: //www.osce.org/kosovo