How does Bolivia's mixed electoral system work in national elections?

Bolivia combines majority and proportional voting. The President and Vice President are elected nationally, Senate seats are allocated proportionally by department, and the Chamber of Deputies combines uninominal, plurinominal and special Indigenous Native Peasant constituencies.

Who can vote in Bolivia's national elections and how is registration handled?

Bolivian citizens aged 18 or older on election day may vote if their citizenship is valid and they are registered in the Padrón Electoral Biométrico. SERECI handles registration and changes free of charge, usually immediately; foreign nationals may vote only in municipal elections after at least two years of legal residence in the municipality.

What identification and ballot does a voter need at a polling station in Bolivia?

The voter normally presents the original Cédula de Identidad, with the applicable regulation allowing an identity card expired for no more than one year. The voter marks one multicolour, multisign ballot covering the relevant presidential, legislative or other offices.

What happens after votes are counted in Bolivia's elections?

The electoral jury conducts a public count and records it in an Acta. The TED performs the departmental count, the TSE performs the national count where applicable, and official results, proclamations and credentials follow; preliminary results do not replace the official final result.

What are the consequences of not voting in Bolivia's compulsory elections?

Non-voters may face a fine or need a Certificado de Impedimento, depending on the applicable rules. Without a Certificado de Sufragio or proof of payment within 90 days, certain banking transactions, public-office procedures and passport applications can be restricted; people over 60 are exempt under the applicable TSE regulation.

Elections in Bolivia

Bolivia holds general, subnational, judicial and direct-democracy elections through the Órgano Electoral Plurinacional. The mixed electoral system combines majority and proportional voting, while voting rights, registration, polling procedures and official results follow rules administered by the Tribunal Supremo Electoral and related bodies. Voting is universal, direct, individual, secret, free and compulsory for eligible citizens.

Tip

Treat the current election calendar and your registration status as the first practical checks. Confirm your polling place before election day, take the required identity document, and keep the Certificado de Sufragio after voting because it can affect later administrative and financial procedures. If you cannot vote, resolve the applicable fine or Certificado de Impedimento promptly.

byAlejandra&Javier

Bolivia's electoral system covers Elecciones Generales, Elecciones Subnacionales, Elecciones Judiciales, referendos and revocatorias de mandato. The Órgano Electoral Plurinacional, led at national level by the Tribunal Supremo Electoral (TSE), organizes the process. Tribunales Electorales Departamentales manage departmental counts, while SERECI maintains the Padrón Electoral Biométrico. SIFDE, electoral juries and electoral notaries support oversight, administration and voting-day procedures. In general elections, voters choose the President and Vice President in a national constituency. The Senate has 36 seats, with four elected per department by proportional representation. The Chamber of Deputies has 130 seats: 63 uninominal deputies, 60 plurinominal deputies and 7 representatives from special Indigenous Native Peasant constituencies. Bolivia also elects nine representatives to supranational parliamentary bodies. Candidate lists must respect gender parity and alternation. A presidential ticket wins in the first round with more than 50% of valid votes or at least 40% and a lead of at least 10 percentage points over the second ticket. Otherwise, the two leading tickets compete in a second round within 60 days, using the same electoral register, and the ticket with more valid votes wins. Subnational elections choose departmental governors and assembly members, the executive and assembly representatives of the Gran Chaco where applicable, and municipal mayors and councillors. Indigenous representative procedures can follow locally applicable normas y procedimientos propios. Judicial elections directly select high-level members of the Órgano Judicial and the Tribunal Constitucional Plurinacional; the Asamblea Legislativa Plurinacional first selects the candidates, and voters use national and departmental ballots. Referendos and revocatorias de mandato provide additional forms of direct democratic participation. Bolivian citizens aged 18 or older on election day can vote nationally and abroad if their citizenship remains valid. Foreign nationals can vote in municipal elections after at least two years of legal residence in the municipality, subject to the applicable rules. Registration and changes to the electoral register take place permanently through SERECI and are free, usually with immediate effect. Voters can check their assigned polling location and table through Yo Participo. The TSE publishes lists of ineligible voters and provides a period for claims. At the polling station, voters normally present the original Cédula de Identidad. The applicable regulation may accept an identity card expired for no more than one year. Polling usually runs from 08:00 to 16:00. Voters mark and fold one multicolour, multisign ballot: the upper section covers President and Vice President, while the lower section covers uninominal or special deputies. Senate and plurinominal deputy seats are allocated through party or list votes. Voters who request assistance because of a disability or because they are over 60 may use assisted voting. Each polling station has six citizens selected by lot as electoral jurors. The jury checks the register, obtains the voter's signature and fingerprint, supervises the ballot box and conducts the public count. The jury records the result in an Acta, controls ballots and election materials, and may receive observations or appeals from party delegates and observers. After voting, the voter receives a Certificado de Sufragio. Failure to vote can lead to a fine or require a Certificado de Impedimento, depending on the applicable rules. Without a Certificado de Sufragio or proof of payment within 90 days, restrictions may affect certain banking transactions, public office and passport procedures. People over 60 are exempt from the presentation and sanction rules under the applicable TSE regulation. The count begins publicly at the polling station. The TED conducts the departmental count, and the TSE conducts the national count, publishes preliminary and consolidated results through the official results system, proclaims elected candidates and issues credentials. Preliminary results are not the official final result. Claims, objections and appeals follow the procedures established by Ley 026 and the applicable regulations. In the 2025 general election, the first round took place on 17 August and the first national second round on 19 October; the PDC ticket of Rodrigo Paz Pereira and Edmand Lara Montaño received 54.96% of valid votes and received credentials on 5 November 2025.