The Supreme Election Board (YSK) has issued a "Circular Indicating the Formation, Duties and Authorities of the Balloting Boards" due to the Presidential Election to be held on 14 May and the 28th General Election of the Deputy.
The circular published in today's Official Gazette regulates the formation of ballot box committees, their duties and powers, the work and transactions they will carry out, the method of voting, the principles and procedures regarding complaints and objections.
Accordingly, the ballot box committee will consist of a chairman, 6 regular and 6 substitute members. In the event that the chairman of the ballot box committee does not take office, the member determined from among the public officials, and in the absence of this member, the oldest member will preside over the board.
Administrative chiefs, municipal police chiefs and officers, military persons, including civil servants specified in Article 3 of the Military Penal Code, members of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey and candidates will not be elected to ballot box committees. Maintaining order around the ballot box will be up to the chairman of the ballot box committee, and the building and its surroundings will be the responsibility of the building supervisor.
The place where the ballot will be placed will be decided by the ballot box committee under the supervision of the district election board. In determining the places where the ballot will be placed, the voter's ability to vote freely and secretly will be taken into consideration.
Convenience for the disabled
The ballot boxes where the disabled voters are registered will be placed in the appropriate places of the buildings determined by the district election boards in order to ensure comfortable and easy voting.
The ballot boxes will be set up in large and public places such as the courtyard of the school (including private schools and private teaching institutions) or suitable parts of the halls.
The place where the ballot boxes will be placed in penitentiary institutions will be determined by taking the opinion of the prison administration.
No ballot boxes can be placed in military buildings and facilities such as barracks, headquarters, camps, police stations and party buildings, headman's chambers and temples.
Prohibition sign will be hung
Signs stating that it is forbidden to enter the voting place with video recorder or communication devices such as mobile phones, photographs and film machines and that there is a penalty, and that such devices should be left to the ballot box committee to be returned after the voting process is over, will be hung around the ballot box in a way that everyone can see.
No one other than the chairman and members of the ballot box committee, candidates, deputies, voters registered in that ballot box area and duty observers, building supervisors and law enforcement officers who come upon call will be found around the ballot box.
Persons and representatives authorized to object to the election boards of political parties will be able to be around the ballot box with the document given to them in advance by the election boards.
It will be free for members of the media to obtain images and information for news purposes around the ballot box, provided that they do not interfere with ballot-head processes.
There will be “CHOICE” or “YES” seals
The ballot box committee will convene at the ballot box at least one hour before the voting time, on 14 May, the voting day.
A voter cannot vote more than once for the same election type. The voter, who is brought before the ballot box committee, will give his identity document and, if any, the voter information sheet to the president before using the vote.
Before entering the closed voting place by the President, he/she affixes the "PREFERENCE" or "YES" seal by not overflowing the section reserved for the presidential candidate, political party, alliance or independent candidate he/she prefers on the combined ballot paper, except for the "PREFERENCE" or "YES" seal. It will be stated that he should not sign or mark anywhere, otherwise the vote will be deemed invalid, the combined ballot paper must be folded properly, put in the envelope and pasted.
It will also be announced that he does not put anything in the envelope other than the combined ballot paper, otherwise his vote will be invalid, and that a new combined ballot will not be issued after giving the combined ballot paper to the voter, on the grounds of an error or any other reason.
Presidential and parliamentary election ballots will be put in the same envelope.
Prisoners' voting
After adequate security measures are taken, the detainees will be brought to the polling station where they will vote in an order determined by the penitentiary administration. It will be ensured by the ballot box committee that the detainees cast their votes freely and confidentially. Voters imprisoned in penitentiary institutions will be taken out of the polls by the authorities after voting.
The voter who receives the envelope and the combined ballot paper will not be allowed to go to another place to consult or meet before using the ballot, or to meet with anyone else in the ballot box.
Unless the voter leaves the closed voting place, no one will be able to enter there, but the voters who stay in the closed polling place more than the normal time to prepare the ballot will be warned by the chairman of the board by giving a reasonable time. Voters who do not leave the closed voting place despite this warning will be expelled.
Disabled people voting
The visually impaired, the paralyzed, those with missing hands or those with obvious physical defects will be able to vote with the help of one of their relatives, who is the elector of that constituency and who is in the ballot box at that time, or any other voter if there is no relative. A voter cannot help more than one person with a disability.
Illiterate voters will not be assisted by others in the ballot box to cast their votes. If the illiterate voter asks and wishes, the chairman of the board will explain which of the signs of the presidential candidate, political party and alliances on the combined ballot paper belongs to which candidate or party.
Counting and casting will be open
Deputies will be able to cast their votes outside the constituency where they are registered, by showing the voter information sheet indicating that they are presidential or parliamentary candidates by the chairman of any provincial election board, and presidential candidates and parliamentary candidates.
When the voting is over, the chairman of the board will announce it loudly and the time when the voting ends will be recorded in the minutes book. Ballot boxes cannot be opened before the voting deadline.
Counting and casting will be done openly. Those present at the polling place will be able to watch the count and the breakdown.
Envelopes to be considered invalid
Any seal, other than the seal of the district election board and ballot box committee, made of paper that is not in the shape and color given by the ballot box committee, does not have the "Republic of Turkey Supreme Election Board" watermark, does not have the YSK emblem, the seal of the district election board, the seal of the ballot box committee, which is completely torn, Envelopes with signature, writing, fingerprint or any other mark will be considered invalid.
First, the counting and listing of the ballot papers for the presidential election will be done. The President will read the front of the ballot for all to see and hear.
If the "YES" stamp is pressed in the area reserved for a political party, in the area reserved for a political party, and in the area reserved for a political party for the election of a deputy, such that it overflows into the alliance title section and the alliance title section, these ballot papers will be considered valid and will be marked in the column of that political party in the census sheet.
Except for these cases, in all cases where the "YES" or "PREFERENCE" stamp is pressed only within the alliance area, these ballot papers will also be considered valid, and the numbers will be drawn and marked separately, starting from one, in the column of the alliance's common votes on the counting sheet.
Ballot papers that are not valid
Ballots will not be valid if:
- The absence of the Republic of Turkey Supreme Election Board watermark and the ballot box committee seal, which is not in the shape and color given by the ballot box committee,
- Not to be stamped with "PREFERENCE" or "YES" anywhere,
- Stamping "PREFERENCE" or "YES" to more than one presidential candidate, more than one political party that is not in the same alliance, more than one alliance or more than one independent candidate,
- If there is a “PREFERENCE” or “YES” seal overflowing into the area reserved for more than one presidential candidate, more than one political party that is not in the same alliance, more than one alliance or more than one independent candidate,
- The ballot box is torn or broken in such a way that its integrity is broken, which is arranged for a constituency other than the electoral district to which it belongs,
- Any special sign, a name, signature stamp, seal or fingerprint printed on it other than or instead of the "PREFERENCE" or "YES" seal,
- Clearly and specifically scribbling, drawing or marking the sections of presidential candidates, political parties, alliances or independent candidates on it,
- Writing inscriptions, letters or numbers, drawing figures other than the printed texts and figures on it.
In the YSK circular, the situations that will not invalidate the ballot papers were determined as follows: - Envelopes torn during opening or reading of votes, accidental tearing of some of them without breaking their integrity,
- It is stained in any way and it cannot be understood that this was done specifically to mark,