Home > 1.3 Free suffrage > GERMANY - Federal Electoral Regulations
 
 
 
Download file    
 
 
Article 74
 

Processing of Ballot Letters,Preparations for Establishment and Declaration of the Postal Ballot Result

(1) The authority responsible for the receipt of ballot letters (Article 66 (2)) shall collect the ballot letters unopened and keep them under lock and key. It shall mark the date and time of receipt on each ballot letter received on election day after the close of polling; it shall mark ballot letters received from the day after election day onwards with the date of receipt only.

(2) (repealed)

(3) The responsible authority, which, in cases where a Postal Ballot Board is appointed for more than one commune pursuant to Article 7 (3), is the local authority charged to administer the postal ballot, shall

distribute the ballot letters to the various Postal Ballot Boards,

hand over to each Postal Ballot Board the register of invalidated polling cards, the addenda to that register or a notice that no polling cards have been invalidated (Article 28 (9)),

ensure the provision and furnishing of the polling station, and provide the Postal Ballot Board with any auxiliary staff it requires.

(4) If a Postal Ballot Board has been appointed for two or more communes, the local authorities of the communes must forward to the local authority charged to administer the postal ballot,

by 12 noon on election day, all ballot letters received by them on the previous day, and

by the quickest means after the close of polling, all other ballot letters received before the close of polling by them or by the relevant local sorting offices.

(5) Ballot letters arriving late shall be received by the responsible authority, marked with the endorsements prescribed in Paragraph 1 above and packaged unopened. The parcel shall be closed and sealed, marked with a note of its contents and stored until authorization is issued for the destruction of ballot letters (Article 90). The local authority must ensure that the parcels are not accessible to unauthorized persons.