The partial local elections of 7 December 2025 for the Bucharest Mayor’s Office will mobilise thousands of people across the city’s electoral structures. Polling-station electoral bureaus (BESV) are the operational core: they open the polls, manage the voting process, verify voters, count ballots and transmit the official results. Access to these positions is tightly regulated, and every member goes through mandatory training and receives fixed remuneration set by law.

What a BESV is and how it is structured in Bucharest

A polling-station electoral bureau is the administrative unit that manages the election process inside each polling station. In Bucharest, every BESV has 15 members, as required by Law 115/2015.

A BESV includes:
 – the president of the polling station
 – the deputy president
 – members appointed by political parties
 – members selected from the Electoral Experts’ Corps
 – computer operators
 – technical-support staff (where needed)

Their collective role: organise the station, verify voters, supervise the voting process, ensure legal compliance, count ballots and transmit results.

How presidents and deputy presidents are selected

These roles are not politically assigned. The Permanent Electoral Authority (AEP) selects them via a public, computer-generated draw, announced 24 hours in advance. For the December elections, the draw took place on 19 November. All selected individuals come strictly from the Electoral Experts’ Corps — a permanent registry managed by AEP.

Entry into the corps is conditioned by:
 – Romanian citizenship
 – full voting rights
 – no political affiliation
 – university studies (law graduates are common)
 – administrative competence
 – no criminal record
 – adequate health status

Once included, a person is automatically considered for every future electoral assignment.

How to become a regular member of a polling station

There are two pathways:

1. Nomination by political parties
   Parties, alliances or accredited candidates may submit lists of members, which are then validated by the Sector Electoral Bureau. This is the most common way BESV positions are filled.
2. Selection from the Electoral Experts’ Corps
   If you have no political ties, the institutional route is to join the experts’ corps. From there, you may be selected as president, deputy, member or technical staff.

Incompatibilities are strict: candidates, their spouses and close relatives (up to second degree) cannot serve. In specific decision-related situations, even fourth-degree relatives can be excluded. Any incompatibility discovered after appointment leads to immediate replacement.

Mandatory training before election day

No one walks into a polling station unprepared. Training is compulsory and part of the paid activity.

– Presidents, deputies and electoral experts are trained directly by AEP. The sessions cover legal procedures, station layout, workflow, forms, protocols and the entire process of drafting and validating the official reports.
– Computer operators undergo separate technical training for SIMPV — the national system used to register voter presence.
– Members nominated by political parties attend training organised by Sector Electoral Bureaus, focusing on responsibilities, verification procedures and legal boundaries.

Absence from training automatically disqualifies a person from serving in the polling station.

What BESV members actually do

Responsibilities are rigidly standardised:

– set up the polling station
 – verify voter identity
 – supervise all phases of the vote
 – ensure that legal procedures are respected
 – complete and sign electoral reports
 – count ballots and transmit results

Each member must wear a visible badge and maintain politically neutral, professional conduct.

Right to a paid day off

BESV members are entitled to one paid day off work after the election — 8 December for this particular vote. The leave is granted based on an official certificate issued by the competent electoral bureau.

How much polling-station members are paid

For the 7 December elections, OUG 57/2025 sets the following daily rates:

– 248 lei/day – presidents, deputy presidents, computer operators
– 180 lei/day – regular BESV members
– 128 lei/day – IT staff
– 150 lei/day – technical and statistical staff
– 35 lei/day – protocol allowance (for all categories)

Additionally, Ministry of Internal Affairs personnel involved in election-security operations receive 188 lei/day.

These are not salaries but fixed indemnities covering training, election-day work and post-closing administrative tasks.

In essence

To become a member of a polling-station electoral bureau in Bucharest, you enter through AEP (the Electoral Experts’ Corps) or through political-party nominations. All members must attend mandatory training and are compensated according to national regulations. The process is strict, procedural and designed to ensure a predictable, legally compliant electoral day.