The Procedure for the Transfer of Election Ballots to Election Commissions
1. The territorial election commission shall receive election ballots from the Central Election Commission at its session. The territorial election commission shall complete a protocol on the receipt of the election ballots according to the form established by the Central Election Commission. The protocol shall be completed in three copies and signed by all members of the territorial election commission and the representatives of the Central Election Commission that did the transfer of the election ballots, as well as by the candidates to the post of President of Ukraine, their proxies and official observers from candidates and parties (blocs) that are present at the session of the commission. The first copy of the protocol shall be forwarded to the Central Election Commission, the second - shall be kept in the territorial election commission, and the third - shall immediately be displayed in the premises of the territorial election commission for public familiarization.
2. The territorial election commission shall provide storage and safety for the election ballots obtained from the Central Election Commission. Election ballots shall be stored in the premises of the territorial election commission in a safe (metal strong-box), which shall be sealed with a strip marked with the signatures of all those present at the session of the commission and certified with the seal of the commission and shall constantly (prior to the day of elections) be guarded by an officer of bodies of the Ministry of Interior of Ukraine.
3. The territorial election commission shall no later than three days prior to the day of elections at its session hand over the election ballots to the polling station election commissions. No less than three members of each polling station election commission, who must be representatives of different candidates to the post of President of Ukraine, shall receive the ballots on behalf of the commission.
4. A protocol on the transfer of the election ballots from the territorial election commission to the polling station election commissions shall be completed according to the form established by the Central Election Commission, indicating the following:
1) the number of the territorial election district;
2) the number of the election precinct;
3) the number of voters in the election precinct according the list of voters on the day the protocol was completed;
4) the number of election ballots for voting transferred to the election precinct;
5) the surnames and signatures of the members of the polling station election commission who received the election ballots; and
6) the number of election ballots, which remain in storage at the territorial election commission.
5. The protocol on the transfer of election ballots to the polling station election commissions shall be completed in three copies and signed by all members of the territorial election commission present at the session, as well as by candidates for the post of President of Ukraine, their proxies and official observers from candidates and parties (blocs) present at the session of the commission. The first copy of the protocol shall be forwarded to the Central Election Commission, the second - shall be kept in the territorial election commission, and the third - shall immediately be posted in the premises of the territorial election commission for public familiarization. An extract from the protocol containing the information about the respective polling station election commission shall be handed out to the representatives of each polling station election commission who received election ballots.
6. Election ballots shall be transferred to election commissions at election precincts abroad in accordance with the procedure established by the Central Election Commission.
7. All election ballots containing numbers of election precincts shall be transferred to the corresponding polling station election commissions. Election ballots without a number of an election precinct shall be transferred to election commissions at election precincts formed according to part ten of article 20 of this Law in a quantity, which is equal to the number of citizens included in the list of voters in the election precinct on the day of the receipt of the election ballots, together with a reserve, the size of which shall be determined by the Central Election Commission.
8. Each member of the territorial election commission, each candidate to the post of President of Ukraine, his/her proxy and the official observer from a candidate or party (bloc), who were present during the transfer of the election ballots, shall have the right on their request to immediately obtain copies of the protocols mentioned in parts one and five of this article, certified by the chairperson and the secretary of the territorial election commission and with the seal of the commission, in the amount of no more than one copy of a protocol per commission member and per candidate to the post of President of Ukraine.
9. The members of the polling station election commission shall transport the received election ballots to the premises of the polling station election commission accompanied by an officer of bodies of the Ministry of Interior.
10. The receipt of the election ballots shall be carried out immediately after the arrival of the commission member that received the ballots at a session of the polling station election commission. The members of the polling station election commission shall during this recount the received ballots and place the seal of the polling station election commission in the designated fields on each election ballot. At election precincts formed according to part ten of article 20 of this Law, as well the number of the election precinct shall be placed in the designated fields on the election ballot and its control coupon. In case of a discrepancy between the number of ballots established during the recount and the number of ballots indicated in the extract of the protocol of the territorial election commission on the transfer of ballots, the polling station election commission shall complete an act in two copies, according to the form established by the Central Election Commission, indicating the reason for the discrepancy established by a decision of the polling station election commission. One copy of the act shall be forwarded to the territorial election commission, while the second shall be kept in the polling station election commission. In case of the above discrepancies, the number of ballots, established at the session of the polling station election commission and fixed in the act on the discrepancies, shall be considered the number of election ballots received by the polling station election commission.
11. The election ballots shall be stored in the premises of the polling station election commission in a safe (metal strong-box), which shall be sealed with a strip marked with the signatures of all those present at the session of the commission and verified with the seal of the commission and shall constantly (prior to the day of elections) be guarded by an officer of bodies of the Ministry of Interior of Ukraine.
