Local government election commissions, as well as polling station commissions help to organize and administer elections and national referenda in Latvia. After the administrative territorial reform there are 119 local government election commissions, including 9 cities and 110 regional election commissions.
Local government election commissions are elected and permanently functioning institutions of local governments. These commissions are elected by the respective city council or regional council every four years after the local government elections.
A city or regional election commission consists of seven to fifteen members. It is the responsibility of a respective council to determine the specific number of the election commission members. The election commission elects from among its members the chairperson and the secretary of the commission.
The polling station commissions are established by the respective city or regional election commissions. Polling station commissions consist of seven members. The respective city or regional election commission appoints the chairperson and the secretary of a polling station commission. Polling station commissions shall be established at least 40 days before the Election Day and their activity is terminated after elections and referendums.
Election commissions are financed from the state budget at the Parliamentary elections, the European Parliament elections and referendums, while ones are financed by local governments at the local government elections.
Establishment and activity of election commissions are stipulated by the Law on City and Regional Election Commissions and Polling Station Commissions. The responsibilities of election commissions are also set out in the Saeima Election Law, in the Law on Elections to the European Parliament, in the City Council and Regional Council Election Law, in the Law on National Referendum and Legislative Initiatives. Instructions, decisions and orders of the Central Election Commission are binding for local election commissions and polling station commissions.
Registered political parties or their associations, any member of the respective city or region council, or not less than 10 Latvian citizens eligible to vote have the right to nominate their representatives to the city or regional election commission.
Registered political parties or their associations, any member of the respective city or regional election commission, or not less than 10 voters have the right to nominate their representatives to polling station commission.
An election commission shall consist of Latvian citizens who have a good command of the Latvian language and have at least a general secondary education.
A person who has been nominated as a candidate for elections or a person who has submitted a list of candidates, as well as the European Parliament, the Saeima, the respective city or regional council member may not be a member of an election commission. The same person may not be a member of several commissions.