Wykładnia operatywna „naruszenia przepisów ustawy” w sprawach protestów przeciwko zmianie terminu referendum lokalnego. Incydent czy zagrożenie dla systemu wyborczego?

On March 20, 2020, a state of epidemic was declared in Poland, lasting until July 1, 2023. The failure of electoral procedures at the central level – specifically the irregular presidential elections of 2020 – overshadowed the fact that Poland entered the pandemic period amidst a series of ongoing local referenda and electoral procedures. The electoral administration intervened in these procedures, most commonly by changing the voting dates. This revealed an interesting, albeit highly problematic, interpretation of the “violation of statutory provisions” – one that was detached from the doctrinal understanding of the essence of the right to participate in a referendum. This article presents a legal-doctrinal and sociological analysis of the grounds for protest (violation of the law), taking into account the core of the constitutional right. The current legal framework reveals a troubling picture of insufficient protection of voting rights, one that tolerates manipulation of the electoral and referendum calendar.