(1) Once the ballot papers, the number of marks indicating the vote has been cast and the polling cards have been counted, two or more assessors, under the supervision of the

Electoral Officer, form the following piles of ballot papers, which they keep under careful observation:
1. piles sorted by Land list, with the ballot papers on which the first and second votes have been unambiguously and validly cast for the candidate and Land list of the same party,
2. one pile containing the ballot papers on which the first and second votes have been unambiguously and validly cast for candidates and Land lists of different nominating bodies, as well as the ballot papers on which only the first or second vote has been unambiguously and validly cast and the other vote has not been cast,
3. one pile containing the unmarked ballot papers.
All other ballot papers are set aside and placed in the care of an assessor entrusted with this task by the Electoral Officer.
(2) The assessors in charge of the ballot papers sorted by Land list (subsection (1), first sentence, number 1) hand over the piles one by one, some to the Electoral Officer and some to his or her deputy. The Electoral Officer and his or her deputy examine whether the ballot papers of each pile all bear the same marks and announce aloud the candidate for whom and the Land list for which the votes in each pile have been cast. If a ballot paper gives the Electoral Officer or his or her deputy cause for concern, they add it to the ballot papers set aside as required by subsection (1), second sentence.
(3) The Electoral Officer then examines the unmarked ballot papers (subsection (1), first sentence, number 3) which are given to him or her for this purpose by the assessor entrusted with the care of the ballots. The Electoral Officer announces that in this case both votes are invalid.
(4) Thereafter, two assessors, who have each been designated by the Electoral Officer, count, one after the other and under mutual supervision, the ballot papers in the piles examined by the Electoral Officer and his or her deputy as per subsections (2) and (3) and establish the number of valid votes cast for the individual nominations as well as the number of invalid votes. The numbers are entered as subtotals in the election record.
(5) Then the assessor in charge of the pile of ballot papers formed as per subsection (1), first sentence, number 2 hands the pile over to the Electoral Officer. The Electoral Officer

first sorts the ballot papers by the second votes cast for each Land list and, for each ballot paper, announces aloud the Land list for which the second vote has been cast. In the case of ballot papers on which only the first vote has been marked, the Electoral Officer announces that the unused second vote is invalid. If a ballot paper gives the Electoral Officer cause for concern, he or she adds it to the ballot papers set aside as required by subsection (1), second sentence. Then the piles formed by the Electoral Officer are counted as per subsection (4). Thereafter, the Electoral Officer rearranges the ballot papers by the first votes cast and proceeds as specified in the second to fifth sentences. The respective numbers of votes are entered as subtotals in the election record.
(6) Finally, the Electoral Board decides on the validity of the votes marked on the ballot papers which have been set aside. The Electoral Officer announces the decision verbally and, in the case of valid votes, states for which candidate or Land list the vote has been cast. On the reverse of each ballot paper, the Electoral Officer records whether both votes, only the first vote or only the second vote has/have been declared valid or invalid and consecutively numbers the ballot papers. The respective numbers of votes cast are entered as subtotals in the election record.
(7) The number of invalid votes and the number of votes cast for each nomination as established as per subsections (4) to (6) in the election record are added up by the record keeper. Two assessors designated by the Electoral Officer verify the calculation. If a member of the Electoral Board requests a recount of the votes prior to the signing of the election record, the procedure stipulated in subsections (1) to (6) must be repeated. The reasons for the recount must be noted in the election record.
(8) The assessors designated by the Electoral Officer gather into separate piles 1. the ballot papers on which first and second votes or only first votes have been marked, sorted by the candidate who has received the first vote,
2. the ballot papers on which only the second vote has been marked, 3. the unmarked ballot papers,
4. the other ballot papers
and keep them under careful supervision.