CEC: Changes in voter lists linked to activation of address system

The Central Election Commission (CEC) emphasized that compiling the voter list for each municipality in the upcoming local elections on October 12 is a process regulated by law and by-laws. According to the CEC, changes regarding the voter lists are linked to the activation of the address system by the Kosovo Civil Registration Agency and the Kosovo Cadastral Agency.

Following media reports that a large number of voters from Pristina had been transferred to the list in Gracanica, the CEC, considering it necessary to clarify the situation, stated in a press release for Kosovo Online that the compilation of the voter list for each municipality in Kosovo is a process regulated by law and by-laws.

“After media reports regarding the compilation of the voter list and the allocation of voters to polling centers for the local elections on October 12, 2025, the Central Election Commission believes it is necessary to clarify this situation. According to published information, various citizens who voted in one municipality in past election processes have now noticed that they will be voting in another municipality. The CEC clarifies that the compilation of the voter list for each municipality in the Republic of Kosovo is a process regulated by law and by-laws,” the CEC stated.

They added that for several years, annual reports on the CEC’s work had highlighted the importance of integrating a unified address system into the Central Civil Register, through which voters could be allocated as close as possible to their place of residence, as prescribed by the Law on General Elections.

According to the CEC, certain changes in voter lists are a reflection of the activation of the address system, which began in October last year. This led to the determination of polling stations based on citizens’ residential addresses, and, they added, has affected many municipalities in Kosovo.

“Based on Law No. 08/L-228 on General Elections, the CEC maintains and updates the voter list on the basis of accurate and updated data from the Central Civil Register. In this process, the list is systematically cleaned of individuals who have died or who have renounced citizenship of the Republic of Kosovo. The observed changes are linked to the activation of the address system by the Civil Registration Agency and the Kosovo Cadastral Agency, which began in October 2024. This process has naturally been reflected in the determination of the polling center according to each citizen’s residential address, and this has affected a number of municipalities in the Republic of Kosovo,” the CEC stated.