• 1. For each election, the Mayor and Aldermen shall enable users, other than the Electoral Council acting as the central polling station, to use the election results software reliably and securely. To this end, they shall set up decentralized facilities and implement decentralized measures, and shall ensure that these decentralized facilities and measures comply with the connection requirements.

• 2. The Mayor and Aldermen shall investigate, no later than a time to be determined by general administrative order before polling day, whether the decentralized facilities and measures comply with the connection requirements and shall prepare a statement on the results of this investigation. The Electoral Council shall establish a model for this statement by regulation. The Mayor and Aldermen shall immediately make this statement publicly available electronically in a generally accessible manner. They shall also immediately provide this statement to the Electoral Council.

• 3. The Mayor and Aldermen shall temporarily or permanently suspend the use of the election results software by a user, other than the Electoral Council in its capacity as central polling station, if they determine that the decentralized facilities or measures no longer meet the connection requirements. As soon as the Mayor and Aldermen determine that the decentralized facilities and measures once again meet the connection requirements, they shall enable the user in question to use the election results software again.

• 4. The Mayor and Aldermen shall immediately notify the Electoral Council of any interruption or re-enabling of the use of the election results software as referred to in the third paragraph.

• 5. If the Municipal Executive suspends the use of the election results software as referred to in the third paragraph, it shall take measures to resume use as soon as possible.

• 6. If, after interruption of the use of the election results software pursuant to the third paragraph, it is not possible to resume use within the foreseeable future, the Municipal Executive shall contact the Electoral Council.

• 7. This article applies mutatis mutandis to:

o a. the Electoral Council, which, in its function as central electoral committee for the election of members of the House of Representatives, enables itself to use the election results software reliably and securely and, in the situation referred to in the third paragraph, interrupts its use of the election results software, either temporarily or otherwise. The last sentence of the second paragraph, the fourth paragraph, and the sixth paragraph do not apply.

o b. the Executive Board, with respect to the central electoral committee for the election of members of the General Board.

• 8. Further rules regarding the investigation and declaration referred to in the second paragraph shall be established by general administrative order.