Receipt and provisional examination of early votes.

If an electoral commission receives a ballot box containing ballots cast in early voting, cf. Article 77, it shall check whether the box’s seals are intact and undamaged. An electoral commission member shall open the ballot box in the presence of list agents. If the agents of a list are not present, the senior electoral commission shall call people from the same candidature, if possible, to safeguard its rights. The postal ballots shall be counted and compared with the presiding officer’s records on the poll, cf. paragraphs 1 and 2 of Article 77. The electoral commission shall then open the postal ballots and examine whether the ballot shall be accepted as valid, cf. Article 94. If a ballot is to be accepted as valid, a special mark should be placed provisionally against the name of the voter in the electoral register, but the unopened ballot paper envelope together with the covering letter shall be replaced in the sending envelope, which shall be placed in storage while polling proceeds. If the ballot is not to be accepted as valid, the ballot paper envelope and covering letter shall be stored in the same manner, the reason for rejection of the ballot being recorded on the sending envelope. 

Any postal ballots received by the electoral commission or received while polling is underway shall be recorded in the log book. These ballots shall be handled as prescribed in paragraph 1. 

If a voter is not on the electoral register in the polling ward (or municipality), the electoral commission shall check where the voter is on the electoral register and, if possible, have the postal ballot delivered to the correct polling ward; otherwise, the postal ballot shall be kept in storage until the closing of polls. 

The senior electoral commission may begin sorting ballots under paragraph 1 in good time before polling day so that they can be delivered to the correct polling ward on polling day.