Opening o the envelopes, counting and tabulating of votes

(Change: 8/4/2010-5980/20 art.)

The counting and tabulating processes are starting immediately and undertaken without interruption. The claims and objections do not cause suspending of process. 

President of the ballot box committee, before starting counting and tabulating, show those who are present that counting and tabulating calendars are empty. 

 With the purpose of providing order of counting and tabulating of the votes, president of the ballot box committee assigns;

a)  One member to deliver the envelopes in the ballot,

b)  Two members to issue to read ballot papers on counting and tabulating calendars,

c)  One member to properly arrange and protect the read, counted and itemized votes on the table.

 In counting and tabulating calendars, first names of the political parties in line with ballot paper are written from left to right on the upper part of the columns. After that, if any, a column is reserved for each independent candidate and names and surnames of the independent candidates are written as in the sequence of ballot paper. 

Member, assigned by the president of the ballot box committee, takes the envelopes from ballot one by one and delivers to president. The president opens the envelope and reads loudly the frontal side of the ballot paper so that everybody can see. 

On which political party or independent candidate has the "YES" stamp, name of such party or independent candidate is read. In elections of mukhtar, names and surnames of the mukhtar candidates are written on the ballot papers are read.

In the elections of metropolitan municipalities, votes are counted and itemized for metropolitan municipalities first, then district municipalities and finally for membership of municipal  councils. In other municipal elections, counting and tabulating are undertaken first for mayors and then for membership of municipal councils. 

 In the municipal and mukhtar elections where more than one vote is used in the same envelope, it is determined and issued on minute book that which ballot papers subject to which elections are missing and the amount of empty envelopes without any kinds of ballot papers after the opening of envelopes process. 

Each vote for political parties and independent candidates without being subject to objections, are written and issued in calendars separately by the officers to the places in the columns separated for such parties and candidates. President of the ballot box committee continuously monitors whether these transactions are undertaken properly. 

Assigned member places on the table and protects the read ballot papers and their envelopes. 

Invalid ballot papers or ballot papers that will not included in the counting although they are valid or ballot papers that are subject to objection or there are hesitations about their validity, are separated without issuing on counting and tabulating calendars and protected by president of the ballot box committee. 

After all envelopes are opened and read, by comparing the recent numbers in both counting and tabulating lists, obtaining by issuing of votes without any objections, president of the ballot box committee determines whether the votes of political parties and independent candidates are the same on both calendars. If the numbers of votes are equal, the valid votes of each political parties and independent candidates are added, and these votes which have been considered without any objections, are written in a special minute book that has been arranged by ballot box committee. 

In case the number of valid votes for political parties and independent candidates are not the same in both two calendars, second counting is exercised. In the second counting, voting documents are read one by one and they are issued in two empty and separate counting and tabulating lists. If the numbers of votes are same in both two calendars, valid votes of political parties and independent candidates are added and issued in a minute book special to that election both in letters and numbers.

In case the number of votes are again not equal in counting and tabulating calendars after the second counting, a third counting is exercised due to the methods explained above and the results are issued by a member of the board other than the ones representing political parties on a single counting and tabulating calendar and transactions are undertaken due to results of this third counting. In case there are more than one counting process, the counting and tabulating calendars related with these processes are kept.

President of the ballot box committee controls whether there is any unopened envelope left after the final valid envelope is opened and the voting document inside it is read, and number of opened envelopes and number of valid envelopes issued in minute book are compared and the results are issued in minute books.

After valid votes are issued in counting and tabulating calendars, ballot box committee individually examine all ballot papers which are subject to objection or whether there has been hesitation about their validity, decisions are taken and signed and sealed after being issued to minute books. 

Ballot papers which are determined valid due to the decision of ballot box committees, are issued to the columns that belong to related political parties and independent candidates. Total numbers of votes that are determined valid with this method are issued on the related place of special minute books subject to such election. 

Ballot papers that are either invalid or considered not to be taken into account, are tied as in separate packs and after writing the numbers on, packs are sealed and kept. These ballot papers are not thrown or terminated. number of these are issued on the related place in minute books related to that election. 

After all above mentioned transactions are completed, the number of total votes taken by political parties and independent candidates in counting and tabulating calendars, are written at the bottom of their columns both in letters and numbers.  

Votes taken by political parties and independent candidates in counting and tabulating lists, are announced loudly by the president to those who are present at the area. 

Following this announcement, results in counting and tabulating calendars are issued in ballot result minute book. After the president of the ballot box committee compares the accuracy of information with the results in counting and tabulating calendars, ballot result minute book is signed by the president and members of the board and sealed. 

All these transactions are written in minute book, signed by president and members of the ballot box committee and sealed. 

Observers of the political parties may stay near the counting table and may see the ballot papers. But if the number of observers are more than five, president draws lot among the board for the five party observers with condition each of them will represent one of five parties. For other party and independent candidate observers, an appropriate place is reserved where they can closely monitor counting transactions.