A recent attempt by the Pirate Party to explain to potential voters in the eastern constituency how to fill out their ballots seems to have misfired as too many boxes have been ticked on the exemplary ballot. While people have been advised to generally support the entire party by giving a vote to the complete list, the Pirates also wanted to demonstrate that individual politicians on their list can be supported.
However, while only seven seats are up for grabs in the eastern constituency, the Pirates’ example showcases nine votes to their candidates, which would in fact render the ballot invalid.
But, the Pirate Party is not alone in this mishap. The Centre for Citizenship Education has similarly been criticised for showcasing a ballot where some, but not all, eligible votes have been cast, despite enlisting the maximum number of votes per constituency on the same page. However, the Centre clarified that their voting instructions depict an abstract ballot, which doesn’t mean to indicate the exact number of votes one can cast per constituency. The correct number is indicated at the top of the document.
It should also be noted that a ballot is valid even if only some of the votes have been allocated.
As a reminder, the Grand Duchy is divided into four constituencies or electoral districts: the north, the east, the south, and the centre. People vote in the area where they live, which means they have different vote tallies. The east has seven seats, which means that a maximum of seven votes can be cast. This number is nine in the north, 21 in the centre, and 23 in the south.
Voters can choose to support an entire list by ticking the top box or vote for individuals across one or several party lists. In the latter case, the total number of votes given must not exceed the number of seats up for grabs in a respective district.
