In the presence of persons referred to in the second paragraph of Article 76, the presiding election board shall open the voting returns from each polling section of the municipality, unless counting takes place following the closing of the polls, once they have had the opportunity of verifying for themselves that all the seals are undamaged. If the presiding election board has received a letter containing an absentee vote this shall be dealt with as provided for in Article 67. Immediately upon the opening of each ballot box, the ballots it contains shall be emptied without inspection into a suitable empty container with a lid, taking care to ensure that ballots from individual polling sections become well mixed together.
The ballots shall then be removed from the container in the presence of list agents, sorted according to the letter of the list marked on each ballot and counted under the direction of the presiding election board.
In unrestricted elections the counting of votes shall be done with the chairman of the presiding election board reading aloud the names written on the ballot and handing fellow board members the ballot for examination; the latter shall record the votes as they are read.
The sorting of votes and preparations for their counting may be commenced behind closed doors prior to the closing of the polls.