On ballot voting of Overseas voters

(Addition : 13/3/2008-5749/10 art.)

(Changed first clause: 9/5/2012-6304/6 art.) Voters registered to Overseas electoral roll, may use their votes until 17.00 of the seventh day prior to elections within the principles determined by Supreme Election Council in ballots located in foreign representatives and in other ballots located in other places beginning with forty five days prior to election day. Supreme Election board may shorten this period of time, by taking the opinion of  Ministry of Foreign Affairs considering the number of voters in such foreign country. Hours of voting is between 08.00-17.00 according to local time. Supreme Election Council, by taking the opinion of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, decides in which Overseas representatives and places voters may use their votes in twenty four hours and in which less considering the conditions of such country and such decision is announced electronically. In case the number of voters is high in such country, each of the voters may vote on the determined day and ballot which are previously decided. 

(Changed second clause: 9/5/2012-6304/6 art.) Supreme Election Council, by taking the opinion of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, decides in which foreign representatives and places the ballots will be located and from which officials ballot box committees will be composed of. According to this determination, election of president and members of ballot box committee are undertaken by Overseas District Election Board. Ballot box committee is composed of one president, one public servant member and one members delivered by three political parties that have taken the three highest amount of votes in recent general election and reserve members are determined with same method. In case political parties do not deliver names, missing members are filled with public servants or voters. Election of president and members of board is primarily undertaken among public servants and voters of the area where the ballot will be located. 

President and members of ballot box committee, start their missions with taking oath due to the provisions of article 70. 

Ballot box committees prepare adequate numbers of closed voting places to provide freedom and confidentiality of voting.

(Changed fifth clause: 9/5/2012-6304/6 art.) Supreme Election board sends Overseas District Election Board specially manufactured ballot papers and voting envelopes in special colors. Supreme Election Council may differently decide about the sizes of ballots, voting booths and other electoral materials by taking the opinion of Ministry of Foreign Affairs considering the conditions of the foreign country. 

(Changed sixth clause: 9/5/2012-6304/6 art.) When voter comes to exercise his/her voting right, president of the ballot box committee determines his identification from ID card including identification number of Turkish Republic or from his passport and controls whether he has exercised his voting right over Computer Supported Central electoral roll System. Voter, in case it is determined he has not voted yet, gets into voting booth by taking ballot paper with ballot box committee stamp and “Yes” and “Preference” stamp. Voter, who has voted, signs the place in the presence of his name. 

(Changed seventh clause: 9/5/2012-6304/6 art.) In case any other timehas not determined by ballot box committees other than 17.00 as the end of daily voting process, at this hour, ballot is opened due to explained methods in Law. Without opening the envelopes, the voting envelopes and number of voters are compared and convenience is registered in minute books. 

(Changed eighth clause:  9/5/2012-6304/6 art.) Ballot box committees in Overseas are established by Overseas District Election Boards  composed by taking opinion of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, under the presidency of head of mission of such place,  a public servant working in that place and members whose names are delivered by three political parties that have the three highest voting amounts in recent general elections in order to deliver the sealed sacks to Overseas District Election Boards with the methods determined by Supreme Election Council and reserve members are chosen with same method. In case the political parties do not deliver names, missing members are filled with names among public servants.

Without opening, the envelopes are put in a bag along with original of the minute book and sealed with the stamp of ballot box committee and sent to related commission by the president of the ballot box committee. Commission sends immediately the sacks to Overseas District Election Board. One copy of the minute book is kept by Overseas representatives.  

(Changed tenth clause: 9/5/2012-6304/6 art.) Sealed sacks are opened, counted and registered into minute books by ballot box committees under the supervision of Overseas District Election Board. These minutes are taken as basis of combination, combined minute book is prepared and transmitted to Ankara Provincial Election Board. Furthermore, results in the temporary consolidation minutes coming from the temporary customs stations, are combined and sent to Supreme Election Council by using the fastest means. 

Evaluation of the votes used in Overseas ballots, are undertaken due to related provisions of article 94/B.