Které hlasy jsou evropské? Ústavní geografie po zákonu o korespondenční volbě
Which Votes are European? Constitutional Geography after the Act on Postal Voting

Summary/Abstract: In the article, I discuss the recent changes in the mode of representation of the external electorate in the elections to the Chamber of Deputies. In a two-in-one case study, I analyse both substantively and procedurally the changes in this institutional restriction of extraterritorial voting, brought by Act no. 89/2024 Coll. and Act no. 268/2024 Coll. The object of the study, the question of the territorial delimitation of areas abroad, has been overlooked by Czech legal scholarship. The study is the only analysis of the recent changes. The importance of analysing the changes in assimilated representation stems from the fact that it is a component of the electoral system, the setting of which can impact the outcome of elections. Substantively, the new territorial delimitation of areas abroad is done improperly, since it does not guarantee an unambiguous assignment of certain states to a particular area abroad. Procedurally, the case is an example of not good electoral law-making, caused by an inadequacy to assess the true nature of the changes in the conditions of an insufficient care for the quality of electoral legislation. All this is happening in an era of growing political polarization, which heightens society’s sensitivity to interferences to the setting of the electoral systems and does not foster the overall resilience of society. By the study, I highlight second-order electoral malpractice in the most important elections in the Czech Republic, and propose that it should be resolved by a governmental regulation.

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