Is it Permissible to Vote on Behalf of Another Person?

May 22, 2016 is National Election Day

The National Assembly has decided that the election day for the deputies to the 14th National Assembly and the deputies to the People's Councils at all levels for the 2016-2021 term is Sunday, May 22, 2016, based on Resolution 105/2015/QH13.

Voting is the right and duty of every Vietnamese citizen. As of May 22, 2016, citizens of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam who are eighteen years of age or older have the right to vote.

Each voter has the right to cast one ballot for the deputies to the National Assembly and one ballot for the deputies to the People's Councils corresponding to each level of the People's Council.

No proxy voting allowed

According to Clause 2, Article 69 of the Law on Election of Deputies to the National Assembly and Deputies to the People's Councils 2015, voters must vote in person and cannot ask someone else to vote on their behalf.

Except in the cases stipulated in Clause 3 and Clause 4 of Article 69 as follows:

If a voter cannot write by themselves, they can ask someone else to write on their behalf, but they must cast the ballot themselves; the person writing on their behalf must ensure the secrecy of the voter's ballot. In cases where the voter is disabled and cannot cast the ballot themselves, they can ask someone else to place the ballot into the ballot box.

In cases where the voter is sick, elderly, or disabled and cannot go to the polling station, the Election Team will bring a substitute ballot box and ballots to the residence or treatment place of the voter for voting. For voters who are temporarily detained, those undergoing mandatory education at compulsory education institutions, or those at compulsory detoxification centers, if the temporary detention center, compulsory education institution, or compulsory detoxification center does not organize a separate polling area, or voters who are temporarily detained at temporary detention houses, the Election Team will bring a substitute ballot box and ballots to the temporary detention center, temporary detention house, compulsory education institution, or compulsory detoxification center for voters to receive ballots and participate in voting.

Thus, except for special cases as clearly prescribed, each citizen must vote in person and cannot ask someone else to vote on their behalf.

Ngoc Lam

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