Inmates allowed to vote illegally during early voting: reports

Several inmates at Corradino prison were allowed to vote illegally during early voting after an alleged administrative error involving the courts and the Electoral Commission.

The Times of Malta reported around 50 prisoners were mistakenly issued voting documents despite not being eligible to cast a ballot under law. While the exact number of inmates who voted remains unclear, sources said some ballots were deposited in sealed boxes and cannot now be separated from the rest of the votes.

Under Maltese electoral law, prisoners serving sentences longer than 12 months are stripped of their voting rights. However, inmates awaiting trial, appealing their sentence or serving shorter jail terms remain eligible to vote.

The issue is understood to have stemmed from incorrect information being passed on to the Electoral Commission regarding inmates’ eligibility status. Early voting took place at the Corradino Correctional Facility last Saturday ahead of the upcoming European Parliament and local council elections.

Sources said prison officials and electoral authorities became aware of the mistake only after voting had already taken place. The Electoral Commission is now expected to review the process to establish how the error occurred and whether safeguards need to be strengthened.

The report also noted that similar concerns had been raised during Malta’s 2022 general election, when questions emerged over whether some inmates who were legally barred from voting had nevertheless been allowed to cast ballots.

No official statement has yet been issued on whether any legal action or investigation will follow.

This is not the first time such errors have been made, with the Nationalist Party in 2022 calling for the voting process in prison for the general election to be cancelled and repeated again after ineligible prisoners were allowed to vote.