Nadya Ulman, Boston: Polling stations in the USA are 60% fewer

The Bulgarian Center in New England near Boston (USA) remained without a polling station following the reduction in the number of polling stations in countries outside the European Union, despite a record number of submitted applications. “The building of the Bulgarian Center, which also houses the Bulgarian school and the Bulgarian church in Boston, remains quiet this Sunday,” Nadya Ulman from Boston, Massachusetts told Radio Bulgaria.

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“As a mother of two children at the Bulgarian school near Boston, it is my mission for them to grow up as conscious and engaged Bulgarian citizens. I raise them to love Bulgaria and to value their right to vote. Unfortunately, although here at the Bulgarian Center we collected more than the required number of applications, the new legal restrictions left us without a polling station. From 4 polling stations in Massachusetts, we now have only 2, which must serve voters in another 4 states.”

The polling stations in Newton near Boston and in Cape Cod remain the closest voting locations for the states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, and part of New York State. In other places in the USA, large Bulgarian communities in cities such as Minneapolis and St. Louis remain completely cut off from the vote, reports Nadya, who has participated as a volunteer in organizing the vote over the years.

“The results from our community are clear: in these elections, 470 applications have been submitted in Massachusetts - almost double the previous record of 282 in 2021. In Boston, the interest is even more impressive: 403 applications compared to the previous peak of 227. This unprecedented growth is the result of the dedicated work of volunteers, who also managed to provide a voting machine to make voting as fast and easy as possible.”

Despite this mobilization, there remains disappointment over the changes in the Bulgarian electoral law, adopted at the last moment, which limit the number of polling stations to 20 outside diplomatic and consular representations in non-EU countries.

“In practice, polling stations in the USA have been reduced by 60%, which, given the huge distances here and rising fuel costs, deprives thousands of our compatriots of the real opportunity to vote. In addition, the law removes the right for automatic establishment of polling stations - a decision that unnecessarily burdens volunteers who invest their work and energy so that all of us in the USA can vote,” Ms. Ulman explained.

“Lately we hear calls here for return, for investment in Bulgaria, but limiting the vote sends a completely different message. If we want our children to preserve their connection with Bulgaria, the most important thing is to protect their right to vote,” Nadya Ulman is categorical.

On behalf of the Bulgarian community in the Boston area, she calls on the National Assembly for urgent changes to the electoral law after the elections. “The connection with the Motherland must be proven through actions, and the right to vote is the strongest tool for that. Let us protect and facilitate it in the name of our common future,” Ms. Ulman wrote in a message to Radio Bulgaria.

Edited by Elena Karkalanova