You can now pay a fine and justify not having voted
Uruguayans who did not vote in the national elections on October 27 and in the runoff on November 24 are now entitled to pay the corresponding fine, as well as to justify not voting in the mandatory instance.
According to the Electoral Court, people authorized to vote who have not paid for or justified their omission must pay a fine of $1,740. Meanwhile, the penalty for public officials or professionals with degrees issued by the University of the Republic will be $3,480.
To pay the fine, people who have not voted must fill out the form on the Electoral Court website.
There is no deadline to complete the process and a fine must be paid for each election in which a vote is not taken.
Meanwhile, those who justify their non-voting do have a deadline: the process can be carried out from November 26 to December 26.
The grounds for justification, according to the Court, may be the following:
-Suffering from illness, disability or physical incapacity that prevents them from attending the Vote Receiving Commission on election day. To do this, you must present the medical certificate (if it is from a private institution, it must have a professional stamp) and a certificate issued by a care or asylum establishment.
-Being outside the country on election day. Those who were not in the country during the national elections and the runoff may justify it with any means of documentary evidence showing the date of departure and entry into the country – certificate from the National Immigration Directorate, stamped passport or tickets; proof of work abroad or others of a similar nature. Meanwhile, Uruguayans residing abroad must go to the nearest Uruguayan consular office within 20 days before and 20 after the election to prove that they are abroad, preparing the corresponding records, which the consuls must send to the Electoral Court within twenty days following its issuance, and also deliver to the interested party an authenticated copy.
-Being unable to attend the Vote Receiving Commission for reasons of force majeure. These people must justify their reason for not voting through “documentary evidence.”
The justification can be made by filling out the form on the Electoral Court website.
