Deputies approve law that rewards voters

The Chamber of Deputies approved a controversial bill establishing material benefits for citizens who participate in electoral processes. The initiative, identified as 03875-2024-2028-CD , was presented by legislators from the Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM) and the People's Force (FP).

The legislative piece, called the Law that Promotes, Incentivizes, and Recognizes Responsible Citizen Voting , offers incentives to those who vote. The benefits include:

• Exemption from payment for the issuance of identity and electoral cards due to loss or damage , as well as for certifications of identity cards and birth certificates issued by the Central Electoral Board (JCE).

• 15% discount on the issuance or renewal of a personal passport .

• Free issuance of the certificate of no criminal record and the certificate of life and habitation requested after the elections.

• 25% discount on tuition fees at Dominican state-owned universities and higher education institutions. Private universities and educational institutions may grant voluntary discounts to those who can prove they have voted .

Furthermore, the law grants preference to citizens who have voted in public competitions for state jobs, scholarships, public works contracts, social programs, and housing projects, in the event of a tie with other candidates who did not vote in previous elections.

A half-day paid leave from work is also established for formal employees participating in the elections , a benefit that may be enjoyed within thirty days after the elections, subject to prior coordination with the employer.

"Suffrage should not be rewarded or bought."

Former congressman and leader of the Fuerza del Pueblo party, Rafael Méndez , described the initiative as a " dangerous distortion of the ethical and democratic meaning of suffrage ."

"Voting should not be rewarded or bought," Méndez warned, considering that this practice reduces the act of voting to "a simple transaction that undermines the citizenry."

From Neyba, Bahoruco, the former legislator warned that the measure could become a mechanism of coercion toward the most vulnerable sectors, precisely where the State should concentrate its efforts in civic education and training for conscious participation.

"Rewarding the fulfillment of a duty, rather than encouraging it out of conviction, is equivalent to institutionalizing clientelism and opening the way to new forms of electoral manipulation," Méndez stated.

The leader of the Fuerza del Pueblo party urged the Senate to reject the initiative . " Democracy is not strengthened by handing out rewards , but by guaranteeing trustworthy institutions, promoting political education, and restoring citizens' confidence in their free and sovereign decision-making," he emphasized.

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