Lawfulness of Disclosure of Voters’ Identity Numbers and Phone Numbers at Polling Stations

2021-09-20 16:06:37

On 31 October 2020, on the day of the Parliamentary Elections of Georgia, a report was spread through media regarding publishing voters’ identity numbers and phone numbers depicted in voter lists which were posted at certain polling stations.

The State Inspector’s Service examined lawfulness of publishing voters’ identity numbers at polling stations.

In the process of examination, the fact of publishing voters’ phone numbers was not confirmed, however, it was established that:

  • the secretary of one of the commissions mistakenly posted the voter list of the mobile ballot box on the wall, indicating identity numbers;
  • voter list of the mobile ballot box which shall be made public according to the Election Code, shall not contain voters’ ID numbers. In addition, the Chair of the commission is responsible for posting the voter list in a visible place in the building of the polling station.

The examination revealed that voter lists with voter ID numbers were published in violation of the law at the polling stations, creating a threat of illegal use of voter data. The representative of the Commission of the polling station was deemed guilty of an offence and a warning was imposed upon him as an administrative penalty.

The State Inspector’s Service recommends that any person involved in the election process be careful regarding voter data, especially regarding voter lists as it contains a large volume of citizens’ data. The mentioned list should be used only in the circumstances prescribed by and in accordance with the election legislation.