According to the Ministry of Social Policy, there are 1,584,859 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Ukraine as of 27 June 2017. Thus, 4% of Ukrainian voters, who had to leave their homes because of military aggression, are not able to exercise their political rights. Internally displaced persons cannot vote in local and parliamentary elections in single-member districts for the third year, due to the lack of legislative regulation.
Moreover, there are other categories of citizens besides IDPs, who face problems in realization of voting rights in Ukraine, because their residence address is different from their registration address and, therefore, their election address.
On 27 March 2017, 24 MPs of Ukraine have registered the Draft Law #6240 on Amendment of Some Laws of Ukraine (concerning the voting rights of internally displaced persons and other internal mobile groups of citizens).
This draft law provides amendment of the Law on the State Register of Voters and other related regulations, aimed to secure electoral rights of IDPs in Ukraine in all types of elections. The draft law will also allow Ukrainian citizens to vote by their residence address thanks to a simplified voter registration procedure, and no connection between one's voting address and registration address.
Participants:
• Denys Kovryzhenko, Senior Legal Advisor at the IFES;
• Nadiia Pashkova, Senior Program Coordinator at the IFES Ukraine.
• Olha Aivazovska, Electoral and Parliamentary Programs Coordinator at the Civil Network OPORA
• Tetiana Durnieva, electoral law expert, Executive Director of Hrupa Vplyvu Civil Holding
• Oleksandr Kliuzhev, Analyst at the Civil Network OPORA
• Roman Kyslenko, Analyst at the Hrupa Vplyvu Civil Holding
• Olha Kotsiuruba, Legal Advisor at the Civil Network OPORA.
We invite MPs, representatives of local self-government bodies, political parties,non-governmental organizations, members of election commissions, employees of the State Voter Register maintenance bodies, and journalists to join the discussions.
11 July – Kontekst Prychernomorie Information Agency (4-D Shevchenka ave., office 81), at 11:00 AM
12 July – city of Lviv
12 July – city of Vinnytsia
17 July – city of Zaporizhia, “Spilno HUB” co-working, (142 Sobornyi ave., hall on the 4th floor), at 10:00 AM
19 July – city of Kramotorsk
20 July – city of Kharkiv, “Vremia” media center (72 Sumska st.), at 10:30 AM
24 July – the city of Dnipro