Amid high expectations about voting abroad, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) in Guatemala began transferring to the United States the voting papers to be used in Sunday’s ballot.
After the poor results obtained during the June 16 elections (734 votes representing just 1.18% of total registered voters), authorities hope to motivate a greater number of Guatemalan residents by extending the vote to groups of migrants and community leaders.
Polling stations will open, as on the previous occasion, in the consulates of two US states, in Los Angeles (California) and Houston (Texas), while Silver Spring (Maryland) and New York will use hotel spaces.
According to TSE spokesperson Gerardo Ramirez, these are the first steps, laying the first foundations in terms of voting abroad, as part of the reforms to the electoral law and political parties.
More than eight million Guatemalans are eligible to vote on Sunday, August 11, to elect their future president, with a choice between Sandra Torres and Alejandro Giammattei, the two candidates who received the most votes on June 16. (https://www.plenglish.com/index.php?o=rn&id=45231&SEO=guatemalan-electoral-entity-begins-transferring-ballots-to-us)
