You can't get married, you can't sign a contract, you can't function
En cada elección, la democracia no solo convoca a candidatos, sino también a ciudadanos comunes para sostener el proceso desde adentro. En Perú, tras una primera vuelta sin ganador absoluto el 11 de abril de 2021, la ONPE ha confirmado una segunda vuelta para el 6 de junio, y con ella, la obligación de que los mismos miembros de mesa vuelvan a servir. Es un recordatorio de que el orden cívico descansa, en última instancia, sobre el compromiso —voluntario o no— de personas ordinarias.
- Sin un candidato que supere el 50% de los votos válidos, Perú enfrenta una segunda vuelta el 6 de junio con menos de dos meses para organizarse.
- La ONPE ha decidido reutilizar a los mismos miembros de mesa del 11 de abril, evitando un nuevo sorteo que el calendario electoral no permite costear en tiempo ni recursos.
- Quienes no se presenten arriesgan una multa de 220 soles que puede bloquear trámites civiles, contratos, acceso a programas sociales e incluso la obtención de una licencia de conducir.
- Los miembros de mesa que sí cumplan recibirán 120 soles por ronda, y quienes faltaron el 11 de abril tienen ahora una segunda oportunidad de cumplir —o de acumular una segunda penalidad.
- La plataforma de consulta de la ONPE estaba temporalmente inactiva a mediados de abril, y los materiales de capacitación aún requieren actualización para reflejar los protocolos del balotaje y las medidas sanitarias por COVID-19.
El 11 de abril de 2021, cerca de 83,000 mesas de sufragio funcionaron en todo el Perú, sostenidas por miles de ciudadanos elegidos como miembros de mesa. Cuando los resultados dejaron claro que ningún candidato había obtenido mayoría absoluta, la ONPE confirmó una segunda vuelta para el 6 de junio, y con ello surgió una pregunta inmediata: ¿tendrán que volver a servir las mismas personas?
La respuesta es sí. En lugar de organizar un nuevo sorteo —un proceso que demandaría tiempo y recursos que el calendario no permite—, la ONPE optó por mantener a los mismos miembros titulares y suplentes designados para la primera vuelta. Para quienes no se presentaron el 11 de abril, el balotaje representa una segunda oportunidad de cumplir con lo que el Estado peruano considera una obligación cívica.
Las consecuencias de no participar son concretas y duraderas. Una multa de 220 soles puede parecer manejable, pero sus efectos se extienden: bloquea inscripciones de matrimonios y divorcios, impide celebrar contratos, cierra el acceso a programas sociales y puede incluso obstaculizar la obtención de una licencia de conducir. Quienes faltaron en ambas rondas enfrentarían dos multas separadas. Solo quienes sean identificados como población de riesgo por COVID-19 quedan exentos.
Mientras tanto, la plataforma donde los ciudadanos pueden verificar su condición de miembros de mesa estaba temporalmente fuera de servicio a mediados de abril. La ONPE prometió actualizarla, junto con nuevos materiales de capacitación adaptados al balotaje. Para quienes ya sirvieron el 11 de abril, el mensaje es claro: prepárense para el 6 de junio.
Peru held its first round of presidential elections on April 11, 2021, with nearly 83,000 polling stations operating across the country. Thousands of ordinary citizens served as mesa members—poll workers responsible for running those stations. Now, as the National Electoral Office (ONPE) tallies results, it has become clear that no candidate secured more than half the valid votes cast, triggering a runoff scheduled for June 6.
The question facing those who worked the first round is straightforward: Will they have to do it again? The answer is yes, but with a crucial difference from how elections typically work. Rather than holding a new lottery to select poll workers for the runoff, ONPE has decided to reuse the same people who served on April 11. Those who were chosen as primary or alternate mesa members will be expected to return for the second vote. For those who did not show up the first time, the June runoff offers a second chance to fulfill what Peru considers a civic obligation.
The stakes of participation are financial and legal. Mesa members who complete their duties receive 120 soles—roughly $30—for each round of voting. Those who refuse to serve, or who fail to appear, face a 220-sol fine. The penalty is not merely symbolic. Unpaid electoral fines block citizens from registering marriages, divorces, or other civil status changes. They prevent people from entering into contracts, becoming public officials, or accessing social programs. They can even prevent someone from obtaining a driver's license. The consequences ripple through ordinary life.
There are narrow exceptions. People identified by Peru's health authorities as at-risk for COVID-19 are exempt from the fine if they do not serve. But for everyone else, the choice is binary: show up or pay. And if someone skipped both the first round and the runoff, they would owe two separate 220-sol penalties, plus any fine for not voting itself—which varies by district.
ONPE's decision to reuse the same poll workers rather than conduct a new selection process reflects both practical necessity and administrative efficiency. Organizing a fresh lottery across the country would require time and resources the electoral calendar does not permit. The runoff is less than two months away. The platform where citizens can check their status as mesa members was temporarily inactive as of mid-April, though ONPE indicated it would be updated. The office has also promised to provide training videos and manuals for the second round, though many of the existing instructional materials still contain information specific to the first vote and will need revision to address the runoff's protocols and COVID-19 safety measures.
For those who served on April 11, the path forward is clear: prepare to return on June 6. For those who did not show up, the calculus is different. They can either accept the assignment and earn 120 soles, or decline and face the fine. Either way, Peru's electoral machinery is counting on them to be there.
Citas Notables
Those chosen as primary or alternate mesa members will be expected to return for the second vote— ONPE policy on runoff poll worker selection
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why not just hold a new lottery for the runoff? Wouldn't that be fairer?
It would be, in theory. But you're talking about reorganizing 83,000 polling stations in six weeks. The ONPE doesn't have the time or the budget to do that twice. Reusing the same people is the only way to make the timeline work.
So if I skipped the first round, I can just show up in June and no one cares?
Exactly. You get a second chance. But if you skip that too, you're paying two fines instead of one. The system is designed to pressure you into participating at least once.
What about someone who's genuinely sick or can't leave their house?
If the health authorities have flagged you as high-risk for COVID, you're protected. But you have to be officially identified. Otherwise, the law doesn't recognize excuses.
The fine is 220 soles. That doesn't sound like much.
It's not, in isolation. But it's not really about the money. It's about what happens after you don't pay. You can't get married, you can't sign a contract, you can't get a job in government. It's a lock on your ability to function in society.
So Peru is essentially forcing people to work the polls?
That's how they see it—as a civic duty, like jury duty in other countries. You can refuse, but there's a cost. The question is whether that cost is high enough to actually compel participation, or whether people will just pay and move on.