People with permanent disabilities who cannot leave home to vote at a polling station can apply for a mobile ballot box by October 10. The presidential election is on October 25.
The Central Election Commission has already set the rules for voting with a mobile ballot box. Applications go to the mayor of the municipality, district or town hall, and can be filed in person, through someone with power of attorney, by post, by fax, or through the municipality's website. No signature is needed if the application is sent by post, fax or online.
The application must come with a document from a medical disability board, known in Bulgaria as TELK or NELK. It must show that the illness has caused a disability that stops the person from leaving home and reaching a polling station on their own or with a mobility aid. If there's no such document, officials check the disability themselves through electronic records.
A mobile polling station can only be set up if at least 10 people with permanent disabilities have applied. One such station can cover one or more towns and villages within a single municipality.
People who become disabled after October 10 can still ask to vote with a mobile ballot box, as long as a mobile station has already been set up in their area. Their applications, along with the TELK or NELK document, will be accepted until October 19 — five days before the vote.