Voters need a lot of explanation: OPORA presented its study in Odesa

A significant portion of voters do not know how the process for changing one’s voting address works, and only 55% of those surveyed as part of the OPORA study indicated that they had heard of the State Voter Registry.

Anatoliy Boiko, a regional consultant for the OPORA Civic Network in the Odesa region, Anatoliy Boiko, a regional consultant for the OPORA Civil Network in the Odesa region, spoke about this. 

Due to the full-scale war and forced displacement from their communities to other settlements in Ukraine and abroad, millions of voters do not actually reside at the addresses listed in the State Voter Registry. On the one hand, this will significantly complicate the voting process; on the other hand, among those who know exactly how to update their information and change their voting address, 90% are willing to take these steps. Thus, the need to launch an information campaign right now is already evident. This was discussed during a roundtable held online in Odesa on July 15.

Preparations for the election must begin immediately. These elections will be extraordinary: we face a vast array of legal, informational, political, and technological issues, and updating the Voter Registry is just one component of this. Expert discussions must begin today, as must analytical, IT, and legal preparations for the electoral process,” noted Anatoliy Boiko, regional consultant for the OPORA Civil Network in the Odesa region.

Hanna Trushevych, an associate professor in the Department of Social Work at Odesa National University named after I. I. Mechnikov, also drew attention to the issue of citizens’ awareness of their voting rights.

Voters currently abroad need to understand right now whether they will be able to elect the mayor of their city under the same conditions as people who remain in Ukraine, as well as whether they will have the right to run for mayor or city council member if, for example, they have lived abroad for the past four years. Will they be granted equal rights with candidates who have resided permanently in their communities? This is just one of many questions that need to be answered now. In addition, an information campaign is needed so that internally displaced persons understand whether they can vote on an equal footing with all other community residents, whether they can participate in local elections, and what steps they need to take to do so,” the associate professor emphasized.

There are also questions not only regarding the technical aspects of voting for Ukrainian voters abroad but also regarding their willingness to engage in political processes in Ukraine.

Among Ukrainians living abroad, I see a relatively low level of engagement in the electoral process. There is a problem related to the fact that other countries are integrating our citizens, and along with this, feelings of detachment and isolation are growing. There are also information distortions that depend on the country of residence, as well as serious issues with identity. All of this must be taken into account when preparing for elections in Ukraine,” noted Mykhailo Shabanov, associate professor in the Department of Political Science at I. I. Mechnikov Odessa National University.

OPORA conducted a large-scale study of migration processes and their impact on the relevance of data in the State Voter Registry. The study combined a nationwide sociological survey of the Ukrainian population with surveys of Ukrainians in Germany, the Czech Republic, and Poland. The results indicate a significant shift in the geography of the Ukrainian electorate since the start of the full-scale war.

According to OPORA’s nationwide study, 25% of Ukraine’s adult population (one in four) has experienced displacement—whether forced or voluntary. For 72% of them, their most recent move took place after February 24, 2022. At the same time, 28.5% (nearly one-third) of citizens live outside their place of registration. In Kyiv, this figure reaches 44%, and among people with experience of displacement, it is 57%. At the same time, 81% of displaced citizens consider their current place of residence to be their primary one.

Most Ukrainians are willing to update their information to participate in elections. Specifically, 58% of respondents are willing to update their information in the State Voter Registry on their own, and if they receive a proactive notification or call to action from the government, this figure rises to 70%. Citizens cite digital services as the most convenient way to update their information—77% chose the “Diya” app. At the same time, awareness of electoral procedures remains limited. For example, only 55% of citizens reported being aware of the existence of the State Voter Registry.

A similar trend is observed among Ukrainians abroad. An OPORA survey of Ukrainians in Poland, Germany, and the Czech Republic showed that 75% of respondents left the country after the start of the full-scale invasion. Only 38% are considering returning after martial law ends, while 48% view such a prospect as unlikely or have no plans to return at all.

Among Ukrainians abroad, 74% stated they are ready to participate in future elections, but only 16% are registered with the consulate, which is required to ensure they are included on the voter rolls in accordance with current procedures. A significant portion of respondents are unfamiliar with the procedures for voting abroad and changing their voting address. Specifically, 49% of Ukrainians abroad are ready to update their voting address on their own, and after receiving additional information from the government, this figure rises to 61%. At the same time, a large percentage of people (over 80%) use the “Diya” app. Most chose it as the most convenient way to update their voting address.

Кирило Бойко