Hesselt (Brussels Morning) – In Hasselt, voters’ lists were openly displayed at polling stations raising privacy concerns. Although not illegal, the city is addressing the issue to ensure compliance with updated guidelines for future elections.
At the polling station in Hasselt several residents were surprised to find a voters list openly displayed accessible to anyone in the queue. This list included personal details such as national register numbers, dates of birth and addresses of voters. This raised concerns among some residents who believe that such public display of sensitive information violates the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which safeguards individuals’ privacy rights. They have lodged complaints with the city authorities urging them to address this breach of privacy and ensure that voters’ personal data is handled securely during elections.
 Legal Compliance and Security Measures
It was openly displayed lists in different polling stations in Hasselt like the sports hall in Runkst and the Van Veldeken Method School. Having a ‘public’ voters list isn’t necessarily a big legal issue. Before 2019 these lists were even openly displayed in polling stations for everyone to see. However, there were concerns about people taking the lists or photos of them. To address this changes were made for the recent election. Now, there’s a list with the chairman at each polling station and anyone interested can ask to see it. Even though the lists were freely accessible in Hasselt it’s not against the law including GDPR regulations.
Ann Claes the head of the Civil Affairs department in Hasselt has confirmed the receipt of complaints regarding the public display of voter lists. She clarifies that the city’s decision-making process was based on information provided by the FPS Home Affairs. Claes admits the possibility of misinterpreting the term “available for inspection” which led to a continuation of previous practices during elections. Recognizing the gravity of the situation she underscores the city’s commitment to rectifying the issue and ensuring strict compliance with updated guidelines for the forthcoming municipal elections in October. This proactive approach aims to prevent any recurrence of privacy violations and reassure residents of their data’s security during the electoral process.
