Legal Grounds: Vote Count Records are Open Source

Below is the Google Translated version of the article 44 of the relevant High Election Council Circular numbered 135 (2018). The crucial part that defines the open source quality is italicized.

Arrangement and announcement of ballot box results report (*)

ARTICLE 44- Ballot box committee, (Example: 86-Deputy, Example: 404-President, If the President is voted in the form of a referendum Example: 404/A) the ballot box results minutes, in two copies, to the information obtained during the counting and casting processes and the counting. and arranges the casting table according to the result. After the election information is completely processed, the section of these minutes is signed by the chairman and members by writing their names and surnames; sealed with the seal of the ballot box board.

The information to be processed in accordance with the above regulation is as follows:

1) The name of the province, district and electoral district where the ballot box is located, and the number of the ballot box,

2) The date and day of voting,

3) The opening hour and minute of the ballot box in front of the members of the ballot box committee and those present at the polling place, and if the ballot box is opened after the time determined by the Supreme Election Board, the reason for this,

4) The number of voters waiting in line at the end of the voting hour and cast to vote, 5) The total number of envelopes received from the district election board and the number of envelopes that have not been used and increased,

 6) The total number of ballots received from the district election board and the number of ballots that have not been used and increased,

7) The number of voters written in the ballot box voters list,

8) The number of voters who are not registered in the ballot box voter list but cast their votes in that ballot box as per the Law No. 298,

9) The total number of voters who cast their votes,

10) The number of envelopes coming out of the chest,

11) Valid number of envelopes,

12) Invalid envelope number and invalidation reason,

13) If the number of envelopes is more than the number of voters, the number of envelopes burned to ensure equality,

14) The number of blank envelopes that do not contain any ballot papers,

15) Number of ballot papers deemed valid without objection,

16) The total of ballot papers deemed valid or taken into account upon objection,

17) The total of valid ballot papers,

18) The number of invalid ballot papers and the reason for invalidation,

19) The number of ballots not taken into account and the reason for not being taken into account,

20) The total of the ballot papers deemed invalid or not taken into account,

21) The total number of valid votes received by presidential candidates, political parties and independent candidates, and the total number of valid common votes received by each of the alliances, to be indicated in numbers and letters,

22) Complaints about the voting processes and the counting and breakdown of the votes and what their decisions consist of,

23) If more than one counting and inventory is made, its number,

24) The result of the counting and counting is announced by the president to those present.

25) If there is a missing ballot paper in the ballot envelope, the vote type and number of the missing vote,

A certified copy of the ballot box result report, are posted by the ballot box committee in a place where everyone can see it in the building or building where the ballot box is placed. This report hangs for one week from the voting day (**).

A copy of the ballot box results report is given to the observers of the presidential candidates, political parties and independent candidates who are qualified to participate in the elections and who request, after they are sufficiently prepared and signed and sealed by the chairman and members of the ballot box committee. These minutes, upon request, are first given to the members of the ballot box committee from political parties in return for their signatures. However, in this case, a separate report is not given to the witness of that party. The ballot box results minutes to be given to the observers are prepared in the form of multi-leaf duplicated copies. The names and surnames of the observers and ballot box committee members, whose ballot box results report is given, and the name and surname of the presidential candidate they represent, the name of the political party or the name and surname of the independent candidate are written in the ballot box committee minute book, and then their signatures are taken. The ballot box committee is given a ballot box result report five times more than the number of presidential, political parties or independent candidates on the ballot paper (298/105).

(*) Better translation could be vote-count record.

(**) This part is critical to prove that the source of data is an “open source” and can be seen and communicated freely. So provision of more precise translation is critical. See a better translation below.

A certified copy of the vote-count record is hung a place visible by everyone in the building or the structure where the ballot box was located. This record is kept hung for one week starting from the day of voting.

For full text of the circular click here.