Preparation to Voting
1. A polling station commission of a regular polling station or a foreign polling station shall inform voters included into voters’ list of such polling station about the time and place of voting using personal invitations, which shall be sent according to paragraph 2 of Article 43 of this Law.
2. A polling station commission at its meeting the day before Election Day shall assign duties of members of the polling station commission for a polling day (except for the head and secretary of the commission ) as to the following:
1) identification of a voter and finding his/her name in a voters’ list;
2) issuing a ballot paper to the voter;
3) control over voters passing into booths for secret voting;
4) control over ballot boxes;
5) organization of mobile voting;
6) control over entrance and exit from the premises for voting.
3. A polling station commission shall hold a preparatory meting on Election Day no earlier than 45 minutes before voting commences. At the beginning of the meeting, all persons present at the meeting shall check the tape sealing the safe (metal box) where the ballot papers are kept.
4. The head of the polling station commission shall present all ballot boxes available at the polling station, for inspection of the members of the polling station commission, candidates for deputies, authorized representatives of parties (blocs), official observers, journalists present at the polling station one by one, announcing the number of each ballot box. After each ballot box is inspected, it shall be sealed or, if it is impossible, stamped with a stamp of the polling station commission; after that, a control sheet shall be inserted into every ballot box, indicating the number of the territorial election district, the time of its insertion in the ballot box, and signatures of the members of the polling station commission and, upon their will, of candidates for deputies, authorized representatives of parties (blocs), official observers. Signatures shall be certified with the stamp of the election commission. After the control letter is inserted in the ballot box, the head of the election commission shall present the next ballot box for inspection and shall follow the same procedure. When the last ballot box is sealed and stamped, a control sheet is inserted in it, and fixed (big) ballot boxes are installed into places designed for them, the premises for voting shall be deemed ready for voting. Mobile (small) ballot boxes shall be placed in the premises for voting having holes for inserting the ballot papers facedown, within the field of vision of the election commission members and other persons present at the polling station in the course of voting in accordance with requirements of this Law.
5. In the event that any damage to the tape sealing the safe (metal box) where the ballot papers were kept or inconsistencies of signatures or the seal is discovered, a polling station commission shall follow the procedure stipulated by paragraph 17 of Article 80 of this Law.
6. After inspection of the safe (metal box) and completing (if required) the acts, referred to in paragraph 17 of Article 80 of this Law, the head of the polling station commission shall announce, based on the act on cancellation of absentee certificates as referred to in paragraph 13 of Article 42 of this Law, the following;
1) the number of absentee certificates received by the polling station commission;
2) the number of voters who received absentee voting certificates;
3) the number of cancelled absentee voting certificates.
7. The secretary of the election commission shall indicate information, referred to in paragraph 6 of this Article, in the protocol of the polling station commission on counting votes at the polling station.
8. The head of the polling station commission shall open the safe (metal box) with ballot papers and shall announce the number of the ballot papers received by the polling station commission based on the excerpt from the protocol of the meeting of the district election commission on handing over the ballot papers to the polling station commission, or the act as referred to in paragraphs 13, 17 or 18 of Article 80 of this Law. The secretary of the election commission shall insert this number into the protocol of the polling station commission on counting the votes at the polling station, and into the protocol of the meeting of the commission.
9. The head of the polling station commission shall hand over the required number of the ballot papers to members of the polling station commission, who will issue the ballot papers to voters in the premises for voting and organize voting outside the premises for voting. Handing over the ballot papers shall be registered according to form established by the Central Election Commission. The mentioned members of the commission shall certify receiving of the ballot papers by putting their signature on the respective form and shall ensure their safekeeping and observing the stipulated by this Law procedure of the issuing to voters. No single ballot paper may be left in the safe.
10. The head of the polling station commission shall give pages of the voters’ list to the members of the polling station commission authorized to work with the voters’ list on Election Day. Respective members of the commission shall ensure their safekeeping and using according to the procedure stipulated by this Law.
11. Before the voting commences, the polling station commission shall inform the district election commission on:
1) the number of voters included into the voters’ list at the polling station as of moment the voting commences;
2) the number of voters in the excerpt from the voters’ list for mobile voting;
3) the number of voters included into the voters’ list based on absentee voting certificates (for polling stations designated for voting based on absentee voting certificates).
12. The number of voters foreseen by subparagraph 3 of paragraph 11 of this Article shall be announced and inserted by the secretary of the election commission into the protocol on counting votes at the polling station.
13. The district election commission shall deliver the mentioned information as to the territorial election district to the Central Election Commission through the automatic information and analytical system and by phone (teletype) no later than at 10 a.m. of Election Day. The Central Election Commission shall immediately display such information on its official web-site and publish them in printed media outlets on the day following their receipt.
