Armenia's Police Clarifies Increase in Number of Voters

The Police of Armenia has issued a clarification regarding the increase in the number of voters in 2021 compared to the voter lists of 2018, in connection with a video by political figure Artak Tovmasyan. This information was provided by the Public Relations and Media Department of the Police of Armenia.

In the video circulating online, Artak Tovmasyan states that an analysis of the voter lists from the extraordinary National Assembly elections of June 20, 2021, and those of 2018 reveals that the list from May 31, 2021, includes more than 200,000 individuals who were absent from the 2018 electoral list. He argues that in some households, there are over 40 registered individuals, and mentions a transfer of 13,976 individuals' addresses, presenting these cases as fraud, asserting that such occurrences were not present in the 2018 election lists.

According to the police, the electoral register is a continuously maintained document that includes citizens of the Republic of Armenia who are registered in the state population register, residing in Armenia, and have the right to vote. The voter lists for the extraordinary elections on June 20, 2021, were not newly formed but are a result of the natural evolution and changes of the lists from the 2018 elections.

In response to Tovmasyan’s claim about the 200,000 increase, the police stated that the number of voters in the 2018 elections was 2,572,935, while in 2021 it was 2,578,678, marking an increase of only 5,743 voters. The population numbers, based on state statistical data, showed an increase from 3,373,551 in 2018 to 3,380,653 in 2021, an increase of 7,102.

Moreover, the actual number of new individuals added to the electoral lists over the three years is about 123,235 according to data from the state population register. Of these:

• 67,180 voters were included due to reaching the age of 18.
• 28,254 voters returned from mandatory military service and were registered based on their place of residence.
• 6,642 voters acquired Armenian citizenship and registered in Armenia.
• 1,038 voters were those who returned from places of detention and registered according to their place of residence.

In addition to the above new entries, 17,812 citizens made changes to their personal data. It is noted that changes in the voters' lists also occurred from May 31 to June 10, 2021.

Regarding the large number of individuals registered at the same address mentioned in the video, the police clarified that there are no legal restrictions in the legislation concerning the number of individuals that can be registered at the same address, a fact that the police have explained multiple times.

As for the transfer of 13,976 individuals regarding their addresses, the Constitutional Law “Electoral Code of the Republic of Armenia” permits voters registered in another community to submit an application to the competent authority up to 10 days prior to the election day to temporarily remove themselves from the voter list of their registered location and to be included in the voter lists of their location for the day of voting. This provision is not new and was also applied during the 2018 elections to properly ensure citizens’ electoral rights. Moreover, the number of voters included in the voter lists based on their location for the 2021 elections was 16,563, of which 8,207 were members of the electoral commission, while for the 2018 elections, it was 12,549, with 6,003 as members of the electoral commission.

Additionally, had the analyst compared the lists from the elections held on December 9, 2018, and prior, similar changes would have been noted.

In this context, the police confirmed that the electoral registry was maintained, and the voter lists were created strictly in compliance with the provisions of the Constitutional Law “Electoral Code of Armenia” during the preparation and organization of the elections on June 20, 2021. All measures were taken to eliminate inaccuracies and possible inconsistencies in the voter lists. Therefore, they request that the public not be misled by unprofessional analyses, avoiding confusion and not artificially creating the illusion of fraud and inaccuracies surrounding the voter lists.