The bill initiated by Georgian Dream not only prohibits emigrants from voting abroad but also introduces several additional restrictions.
For example, the draft law bans audio recording inside polling station buildings. According to the authors, this restriction is justified by the need to protect personal data.
The draft states:
“A person authorized to be present in the polling station building except inside the voting booth as well as a person authorized to attend election commission meetings, may conduct photo and video recording as long as it does not interfere with the election process or the work of the election commission and does not involve audio monitoring.
It is prohibited to photograph, film, or otherwise process information or data that, under this law, is not considered public information, except when such recording or processing is specifically permitted by this law. To ensure the secrecy of the vote, photographing or filming inside the voting booth is prohibited.”
The bill includes several other changes as well. Journalists will also face new restrictions. Previously, up to three representatives from a single media outlet were allowed to work inside a polling station, but if the bill is adopted, only two will be permitted.
Furthermore, the bill sets additional requirements for members of the press and other mass media representatives. According to the document, a person will not qualify as a press representative if, within the last four years, they have been found by a court to have violated election legislation and held administratively liable. The same restriction applies to domestic election observers.
Other amendments concern eligibility for precinct or district election commission membership: under current law, a person with a criminal record who has only been fined may still qualify as a commission member, but under the proposed amendments, any person with a criminal conviction would be fully prohibited from serving.
The bill was registered in parliament by Georgian Dream two days ago, on November 17. Since then, its authors have already obtained positive assessments from the Legal Department and the Budget Office. The first hearing in the plenary session is expected by the end of November.
The bill’s authors and initiators are the following Georgian Dream MPs: Archil Gorduladze, Tornike Cheishvili, Aleksandre Tabatadze, Davit Matikashvili, Rati Ionatamishvili, Aluda Gudushauri, Tengiz Sharmanashvili, Guram Macharashvili, and Akaki Aladashvili.