Ballot papers and special envelopes
1. Ballot papers shall be printed under a CEC ordinance and according to the sample established by the CEC in the Georgian language, while in Abkhazia ballot papers shall be printed in the Georgian and Abkhazian languages, and if necessary, in other languages understandable to the local population.
2. For electoral precincts the CEC shall ensure the use of technologies that allow voters with vision disabilities to complete a ballot paper independently.
3. The CEC shall ensure the printing of ballot papers and the production of ballot boxes (main and mobile), while the relevant DEC shall be responsible for the accuracy of the data to be entered into ballot papers for the elections of a local self-government representative body Sakrebulo (except for the Tbilisi (capital city of Georgia) self-government body Sakrebulo). Ballot papers shall be printed under permanent supervision of observers and persons authorised by the CEC and DECs. Two commission members appointed by ordinance of the respective election commission and observer organisations registered under this Law may observe the process of printing of ballot papers (at every place of printing). The observer organisations shall agree upon nominating not more than 3 observers.
4. The respective election commission shall, within two days after adoption of the appropriate ordinance, publish data about the place where ballot papers are printed and ballot boxes are produced, as well as about the persons responsible for printing ballot papers and producing ballot boxes.
5. A person printing the ballot papers shall be personally responsible for the precise compliance of the number of ballot papers printed and transferred to the relevant election commission with the number of ballot papers ordered in order to make sure that no extra ballot papers are printed and disseminated.
6. The chairperson and secretary of an election commission shall be personally responsible for the storage and proper distribution of ballot papers in the election commission.
7. In order to provide a precise recording of ballot papers, each type of ballot paper shall be numbered sequentially (the number shall be specified on the counterfoil of a ballot paper; a ballot paper and its counterfoil shall be separated from each other by a perforated line) and bound in 50 copies in the form of a notebook. Each notebook shall specify on its cover page the type of ballot paper, the lines for a notebook number, numbers of ballot papers in the notebook, numbers and names of electoral districts and electoral precincts, the lines for signatures of a PEC chairperson and a PEC member (registrar of voters), to whom the notebook is to be delivered, as well as the line for recording the number of unused ballot papers.
8. The number of special envelopes delivered to each PEC shall equal to the total number of voters in an electoral precinct, while the number of ballot paper notebooks shall be equal to a multiple number of 50 of the total number of voters in an electoral precinct.
9. The CEC shall transfer ballot papers and special envelopes to DECs not later than two days before polling day. On the other hand, the DEC shall transfer ballot papers and special envelopes to PECs not later than 12 hours before polling starts.
10. The number of ballot papers and special envelopes shall be precisely registered. Two copies of a delivery and acceptance certificate shall be drawn up after the CEC transfers ballot papers and special envelopes to a DEC and the DEC transfers them to a PEC. A delivery and acceptance certificate shall specify the names of the commissions having transferred and having received ballot papers and special envelopes, the amount of special envelopes, the type of ballot papers, the amount of ballot paper notebooks (specifying their numbers and the numbers of ballot papers), the identity of persons having issued and having received them. A delivery and acceptance certificate shall be signed by the persons having issued and having received the documents (one copy of the certificate shall remain with the commission having transferred ballot papers and special envelopes, while another copy shall be given to the commission having received the ballot papers and special envelopes). A representative of the election transferred to the respective DEC/PEC. A delivery and acceptance certificate shall represent public information.
11. Signatories to a delivery and acceptance certificate referred to in the tenth paragraph of this article shall, before drawing it up, and after determining the compliance of ballot paper information, count ballot papers and enter data into the delivery and acceptance certificate. Thereafter, ballot papers shall be sealed again and that shall be endorsed by the signatures of the parties.
12. The front page of a ballot paper shall include:
a) the name of an election/referendum and the date of the election/referendum;
b) the name and the number of an electoral district;
c) the number of an electoral precinct (on counterfoil of a ballot paper and on ballot paper itself);
d) during elections held under the proportional system – the serial number and name of the party/electoral bloc independently running in the elections; during the elections of the President of Georgia, the Mayor of a self-governing city (including Tbilisi), the Mayor of a self-governing community and during the elections held under the majoritarian system – the serial number, first name, and last name of a candidate, and the name of a nominating electoral subject. If a presidential candidate of Georgia or any majoritarian candidate is nominated by an initiative group of voters, the word ‘independent’ shall be indicated next to the serial number in the ballot paper;
e) a referendum paper shall also specify the question to citizens concerning the referendum issue and options of possible answer: ‘yes’ and ‘no’;
f) the procedure for filling out a ballot paper.
13. If it turns out that a ballot paper was supposed to be in another electoral precinct/district or the quantity thereof does not comply with the one determined in advance, or it has a typographical or other defect, the higher election commission shall be immediately notified thereof, while the relevant election commission may, by an appropriate certificate, enter the actual number of ballot papers into the summary protocol.
14. The reverse page of a ballot paper shall specify the following:
a) the place for affixing a signature by the registrar of voters;
b) the place for affixing a special stamp by the registrar of voters.
15. If an electoral subject is withdrawn from an election, a stamp ‘withdrawn from election’ shall be placed on a ballot paper after the name of an electoral subject.
16. Ballot papers are state property. It is prohibited to take ballot papers out of a polling station, to take them away, or to destroy them on the polling day without permission.
17. Ballot papers shall be printed on a paper with protective signs and only the CEC shall have the right to order and purchase such papers.
18. The violation of the restrictions provided for by the sixteenth paragraph of this article, as well as the dissemination and use of forged ballot papers, is a criminal offence punishable by law.
19. A PEC shall issue a ballot paper (papers) and special envelopes based on a list of voters against presentation of the identity card of a citizen of Georgia or the passport of a citizen of Georgia.
20. Each voter shall be given one special envelope and the appropriate amount of ballot papers on the polling day.
21. Voters shall be given two types of ballot papers during elections of the Parliament of Georgia – one for majoritarian and the other for proportional elections.
22. A commission member acting as a registrar of voters shall endorse the issuance of a ballot paper(s) by his/her signature on the list of voters.
23. Voters shall endorse receipt of a ballot paper(s) by his/her signature on the list of voters.
Organic Law of Georgia No 2093 of 7 March 2014 – website, 14.3.2014
Organic Law of Georgia No 1232 of 26 July 2017 – website, 29.7.2017
Organic Law of Georgia No 1274 of 26 July 2017 – website, 29.7.2017
Organic Law of Georgia No 3266 of 21 July 2018 – website, 13.8.2018
