Page 141 - Conducting Elections during COVID-19

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A woman wearing a protective face mask votes in Poland’s Presidential election at a polling station in Warsaw.

Presidential Elections
10 May, 28 June, 12 July 2020

Poland originally opted to trigger a state of “epidemiological emergency” in lieu of a state of
emergency, in order to keep the anticipated presidential election date of 10 May 2020, and
legislation was created to switch to an all-postal voting system for the election. As the mandate
of the current president expires in early August 2020. However, switching to all-postal voting
in such a rushed manner proved to cause serious concerns, and the 10 May elections were
annulled and postponed. These issues included violating principles of stability in an election,
lack of broad public consultation, and creation of new electoral supervision systems that lacked
experience and preparation. For more analysis on the 10 May 2020 Presidential Election please
visit International IDEA feature story “Switching to all-postal voting in times of public health
crises: Lessons from Poland.” The presidential election was moved to 28 June 2020. Unlike
past elections, a universal voting by post option was made available for those who preferred
it. However, most people ultimately voted in person and were required to wear masks at the
polling station. Voting by post was available and one region was mandated to vote by post
due to its high levels of corona virus. Voter turnout was at 64.51%, an increase from the last
presidential election in 2015 that had a voter turnout of 55.34%. However, since no candidate
received 50% of the vote, a second round of elections were called for on 12 July 2020. The
second round of elections on 12 July 2020 and had a voter turnout of 68.18%. Andrzej Duda
won with 51.03%, beating Rafał Trzaskowsk who received 48.97% of the number of valid votes.
Voters were able to vote in person but were required to wear masks, gloves, and maintain a
safe distance. Voters also used hand sanitizer and used their own pens to mark ballots while
voting. For more detailed information, refer to the case study entitled Political manoeuvres
and legal conundrums amid the COVID-19 pandemic: the 2020 presidential election in Poland
that was published by International IDEA and Electoral Management Network on 3 July
2020. International IDEA also published an article on 9 July 2020 entitled: Political, legal and
organizational lessons from elections in the time of a pandemic – Republic of Poland.