EVCIElection Voter-Confidence Index

No section in the FTS-surfaced candidates satisfies this criterion. Best signal: Article 99 of Cap. 354 (General Elections Act) addresses post-election ballot-counting procedures—specifically the mechanical process of opening ballot boxes, counting ballot papers, and tallying votes using either manual or electronic systems. It contains no provisions regarding pre-election voter communication, ballot information pamphlets, candidate information, ballot-question content, or distribution of voter materials. The section is procedurally focused on vote tabulation, not on the statutory framework for publishing voter-facing election information materials. Therefore, it does not satisfy the criterion requiring statutory codification of a voter pamphlet with candidate and ballot-question information and defined content and distribution requirements.

No section in the FTS-surfaced candidates satisfies this criterion. Best signal: Article 15 of Cap. 544 addresses registration of political party descriptions (names and acronyms) on nomination and ballot papers, along with criteria for rejection (confusion, obscenity, etc.). However, it does not address multilingual ballot requirements or establish any triggers for multilingual materials based on population thresholds or language-minority criteria. The provision permits parties to register descriptions 'in that language or languages that the party chooses,' but this is optional party choice rather than a statutory mandate or trigger mechanism for multilingual ballots. The statute does not codify population thresholds, language-minority identification criteria, or rules requiring jurisdictional provision of multilingual voter materials. The section is concerned solely with party description registration policy, not with the procedural clarity framework for triggering or implementing multilingual election communications to voters.

Article 51(5) of Cap. 354 explicitly establishes a statutory mechanism for public access to candidate-filing documents. The provision grants any voter the right to request examination of nomination papers accepted by the Electoral Commission. Additionally, article 51(2) requires that candidate names be posted at the Electoral Office entrance immediately after nomination delivery. Article 51(8) mandates public announcement and posting of Commission decisions on objections to candidacies in a public place where interested persons may view them. These provisions collectively establish a statutory framework requiring candidate-filing information to be publicly accessible. While the statute does not specify an exact timeframe measured in hours or days for access requests under 51(5), the requirement for immediate posting of names under 51(2) and the mandatory public announcement and posting of decisions under 51(8) satisfy the 'defined time' element through their explicit temporal language ('immediately,' 'at least two days before'). The criterion is met because candidate nominations and related filing documents are statutorily required to be made available for public inspection.

“For the purpose of this article, any voter may ask the Commissioners to be allowed to see and examine any nomination paper accepted by them”

Article 55A(2) addresses the specific scenario of a candidate's death after ballot printing and requires the Commission to give notice of an election to fill the vacancy 'as soon as possible.' However, the provision addresses only death, not disqualification or withdrawal more broadly. The statute codifies a notice requirement for the vacancy-filling process but does not establish a comprehensive public-notice procedure covering all candidate disqualification or withdrawal scenarios. The phrase 'as soon as possible' provides timing guidance but lacks the specificity and enumeration expected for full procedural clarity under the EVCI framework. The section partially satisfies the criterion by establishing notice procedures for one discrete scenario, but fails to comprehensively address the broader range of post-ballot-printing candidate status changes.

“In the case when a candidate dies after the ballot papers have been printed, the candidacy shall be deemed to remain valid for all intents and purposes of the law. Provided that a candidate as referred to in this sub-article may still be declared to be elected but in such case the Commission shall, as soon as possible, give notice of an election to fill the said vacancy.”

No section in the FTS-surfaced candidates satisfies this criterion. Best signal: Article 77 of Cap. 354 (General Elections Act of Malta) is entirely focused on the procedural mechanics of mixed polling places and advance voting eligibility. It establishes where certain categories of voters (hospitalized persons, residents of retirement homes, correctional facility inmates, police officers, and those with notifiable diseases) may vote, and defines the timing of early voting (seven days before polling day, 7:00am to 10:00pm). However, the section contains no statutory framework requiring the Commission to notify voters of upcoming elections, specify election dates, communicate polling place assignments, or announce registration deadlines. The criterion NOTIF.1 requires codification of notification rules, timing, and content requirements for pre-election voter communication. This section addresses only voting procedures and locations, not voter notification obligations. The statute does reference the Commission publishing notices in the Gazette regarding designations of mixed polling places, but this is administrative notice of procedure, not voter notification of election fundamentals.

No section in the FTS-surfaced candidates satisfies this criterion. Best signal: Article 33 of Cap. 354 establishes procedures for publication and revision of the Electoral Register—specifically when and how the register must be published, in what formats, and what information must be included. The section addresses register publication timing (April, October, and within 5 days of dissolution) and content requirements (voter counts, additions, deletions, transfers by locality/division). However, the criterion NOTIF.2 requires a statutory mandate for individual notice to voters whose polling place has changed between elections, delivered within a defined timeframe. Article 33 contains no language addressing individual voter notification of polling-place changes, notification timing requirements, or any mechanism for delivering such notices to affected voters. The article focuses exclusively on public register publication, not individual notification duties.