Q COSTARICA — On Tuesday, February 3, at 9:00 a.m., the first session of the final vote count began of the 7,154 polling stations authorized for the national elections by the Tribunal Supremo de Elecciónes (TSE).
The ballot count is related to the approval of Law No. 10,590, known as the “Law for Strengthening the Electoral Recount,” published in La Gaceta on December 3, 2024.
This new mechanism aims to recount all ballots for the election of representatives, as an additional guarantee of the integrity and transparency of the electoral process.
Furthermore, Costa Ricans will be able to consult—for the first time—the final results from each polling station once the count by the electoral court is completed.
How will it work?
Starting Tuesday, the TSE will hold two vote count sessions per day: in the morning, from 8:00 a.m. From 12:30 p.m. to 12:30 p.m., and from 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
The vote count must be completed within 30 days of the election date for the presidential ballot, and 60 days after the election for the congressional ballot, according to the Electoral Code.
The review of the materials and results from each polling station will be overseen by the presiding and alternate members of the TSE.
Each of the five working groups will be accompanied by approximately 20 electoral officials and previously accredited party representatives.
Furthermore, in the case of the presidential ballot, the TSE will order a recount of votes in a JRV when there are admissible appeals or nullities, evident inconsistencies in the results, irregularities in the formation of the board during the preliminary count or problems with the electoral register, such as loss, lack of use or relevant observations.
Sessions will be broadcast continuously on the TSE’s official YouTube channel (TSECostaRica). Additionally, after the close of each session, the ballots for each polling station and the minutes with the final results will be published daily on the website www.tse.go.cr.