As of 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, 12.3 percent of registered voters — 123,016 people — had cast a ballot in the elections. Of those, 34,215 had voted with a paper ballot and 88,991 online.

"I'm pleased that voters are actively participating in the elections. Regarding the fact that more than twice as many electronic votes have been cast compared to paper ballots so far, that may also be due to the fact that not all polling stations are open yet," Koitmäe commented on Wednesday morning's participation figures on the "Vikerhommik" radio show.

"The number of e-voters has certainly been influenced by the fact that Smart-ID can be used this time. More and more people are using it, while the use of Mobile-ID has decreased," Koitmäe noted.

Asked whether the use of Smart-ID might lead to additional challenges, Koitmäe said he had not heard of any such issues so far. "People have been waiting for this [voting option] for a long time and would have liked to use it already in the previous election," he added.

Commenting on an incident that came to light on Tuesday, in which a person working at a Center Party election tent accompanied a voter into a nearby polling station and helped them fill out their ballot in the booth, Koitmäe said that as a general rule, ballots may not be filled out behind the curtain by more than one person, since voting must be secret.

"At the same time, it is not prohibited to assist someone in voting if they are unable to do so themselves. However, they may not be assisted by a candidate from their place of residence. But a member of the polling station committee may assist," the head of the electoral service emphasized.

Advance voting is open until Saturday and the election takes place on Sunday (October 19).

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