In the days before Latvia's parliamentary elections, the state's Security Police moved quietly but decisively through the country's eastern borderlands, removing polling station workers whose travel to Russia or Belarus — or whose sympathies toward the Kremlin — had drawn official concern. The action, touching some six thousand vetted workers across the nation, reflects a broader reckoning democracies now face: how to safeguard the integrity of their most fundamental rituals when the shadow of foreign influence falls even on those who count the votes. Latvia's answer, for now, was swift substi
Latvia replaces polling staff over Russia, Belarus travel amid election security sweep
We had only one week for all this.
Mark
So the Security Police essentially vetted six thousand people and removed some of them from polling stations. On what grounds exactly?
Mimi
Travel to Russia or Belarus after the war in Ukraine started, and spreading pro-Kremlin narratives. Those were the risk factors they flagged.
Luke
But we should be clear—the source doesn't say how many of the six thousand were actually removed. We know Daugavpils removed over twenty and Kraslava changed twenty-six polling stations, but we don't have a total figure.
Mark
Why does travel to Russia matter for someone counting ballots?
Mimi
The Security Police's logic is that those countries' intelligence services might try to recruit or compromise people with access to election infrastructure. Latvia can't protect its citizens there, so the risk is real from their perspective.
Luke
That's their stated reasoning. Whether the actual threat is proportional to the disruption—replacing staff a week before elections—is a different question. The source doesn't explore that tension.
Mark
Did this cause chaos? Did any polling stations end up understaffed?
Mimi
No. The election officials said all stations stayed fully staffed. They had reserves, and in Kraslava, the old candidates from the spring pool agreed to come back on short notice.
Luke
According to the officials, yes. But we're only hearing from the commissions themselves. No independent verification that every station was actually ready.
Mark
What happens next?
Mimi
Starting in 2025, there's a new law. Certain civil servants won't be allowed to travel to Russia or Belarus at all. This vetting was a preview of that.
Luke
The law is coming, but it's not in effect yet. So for now, this is discretionary enforcement by the Security Police, not a legal requirement.
O Pulso
- With voting just days away, Latvia's Security Police issued a directive that sent local election commissions scrambling to replace staff flagged for Russia or Belarus travel since February 2022.
- In Kraslava, a roster finalized months earlier was torn up in a single week — commissioners cold-calling applicants from the spring, asking if they could begin immediately.
- Daugavpils, Latvia's second-largest city and a region with deep Russian-speaking roots, terminated more than twenty polling workers and refilled every position before election day.
- Election officials insisted no station was left unstaffed, pointing to a standing reserve pool designed precisely for disruptions like this one.
- The episode previews a harder legal line coming in 2025, when a new law will formally bar certain civil servants from entering Russia or Belarus at all — codifying in statute what security services had already begun enforcing by hand.
In the days before Latvia's parliamentary elections, the state's Security Police moved quietly but decisively through the country's eastern borderlands, removing polling station workers whose travel to Russia or Belarus — or whose sympathies toward the Kremlin — had drawn official concern. The action, touching some six thousand vetted workers across the nation, reflects a broader reckoning democracies now face: how to safeguard the integrity of their most fundamental rituals when the shadow of foreign influence falls even on those who count the votes. Latvia's answer, for now, was swift substitution — and a law already waiting in the wings to make the boundary permanent.
A week before Latvia's elections, the Security Police moved through eastern municipalities with a clear directive: remove any polling station worker who had traveled to Russia or Belarus since the invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, or who had spread narratives favorable to the Kremlin. The order arrived late enough to unsettle local commissions, but early enough to act on.
Across Latvia, roughly six thousand polling staff were vetted against those criteria. In Daugavpils, the country's second-largest city, more than twenty workers were let go. Commission chair Ruta Velika confirmed that all twenty-nine of the city's polling stations were nonetheless fully staffed by election day.
The strain was sharpest in Kraslava. The commission had locked in its staff roster back in spring. Then, on September 18th — barely a week before voting — the order came to make changes. Officials reached back out to candidates who had applied months earlier, asking if they could start at once. Nearly all said yes. "We had only one week for all this," said commission chairwoman Zane Lochmele, "but it seems we managed."
Maris Zviedris of the Central Election Commission called the security checks a normal part of the process, even if the timing made the work harder than usual. The CEC reported no municipality unable to fill its stations, and a reserve pool of workers stood ready throughout.
The Security Police grounded the removals in a frank admission: Latvia cannot protect its citizens once they cross into Russia or Belarus, where contact with foreign intelligence services becomes a real risk. A law taking effect in 2025 will formalize that concern, prohibiting certain civil servants from visiting either country at all — turning what was enforced informally this election cycle into a permanent condition of public service.
A week before Latvia's elections, the country's Security Police moved through eastern municipalities with a directive: remove polling station workers who had traveled to Russia or Belarus since Ukraine's war began, or who had spread pro-Kremlin messaging. The order came late enough to scramble local election commissions but early enough to matter.
Across the country, roughly 6,000 polling staff underwent security vetting. The criteria were specific. Travel to Russia or Belarus after February 2022 flagged a person. So did the spread of narratives favorable to the Kremlin. In Daugavpils, Latvia's second-largest city, the electoral commission terminated more than twenty employees and brought in replacements. Ruta Velika, who chairs the Daugavpils Electoral Commission, confirmed the commission had followed Security Police instructions and that all twenty-nine polling stations in the city remained fully staffed.
The pressure was tighter in Kraslava. The commission had finalized its polling staff roster back in spring. Then, on September 18, with voting just over a week away, the order came to make changes. The commission had to contact candidates who had applied months earlier and ask if they could start immediately. Zane Lochmele, the Kraslava Electoral Commission chairwoman, said nearly all agreed. "It seems we managed to handle it successfully, and now the staff is formed, we are ready," she said. "We had only one week for all this."
Maris Zviedris, who heads the Central Election Commission, framed the security checks as routine. Conclusions from authorities could arrive at any stage of preparation, he noted, though he acknowledged that a week before voting made the work harder. Still, he said the CEC had no reports of any municipality unable to fully staff its polling stations. The commission maintained a reserve pool of workers for such contingencies.
The Security Police justified the restrictions by pointing to the limits of Latvia's reach abroad. The service has repeatedly warned residents against traveling to Russia and Belarus, citing the risk of contact with Russian and Belarusian intelligence services. Latvia cannot protect its citizens in those countries, the police explained. Starting in 2025, a new law will prohibit certain categories of civil servants from visiting Russia and Belarus altogether—a formal codification of what the Security Police had already begun enforcing informally through these staff replacements.
By election day, according to the Central Election Commission, all polling stations had their full complement of workers. The vetting had been completed, the replacements made, the reserves held in readiness. What remained was the vote itself.
Citações Notáveis
The commission followed Security Police instructions and all 29 polling stations are fully staffed.— Ruta Velika, Daugavpils Electoral Commission chairwoman
A week before the elections, this becomes a more complicated task.— Maris Zviedris, Central Election Commission chairman
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