Article 44. Procedure for forming a precinct electoral commission
1. A precinct electoral commission has at least 7 members.
Article 58. Voting booths
1. Booths are provided for voting at a rate of at least one booth for every 750 voters.
Article 64. Actions of the precinct electoral commission before voting
1. On voting day, at 7:00, at a session held at the polling centre, the precinct electoral commission determines by drawing lots:
1) the commission members who register voters, at least one member for every 1,000 voters;
2) the commission members who hand out ballots and ballot envelopes, at least one member for every 1,000 voters;
3) at least one member who affixes the self-adhesive stamps and is responsible for the ballot box;
4) at least one member who conducts voting with a mobile ballot box, if the precinct electoral commission is to organise mobile-box voting;
5) the rotation of the precinct electoral commission members’ duties every 2 hours.
The chairperson and the secretary of the commission do not take part in the drawing of lots.
2. On the instructions of the chairperson of the precinct electoral commission, in the presence of the commission members and the persons entitled to attend the vote, the technician checks the operation of the technical equipment in the manner set by the Central Electoral Commission, enters the polling station’s identification data, and prints a slip confirming that no voters are registered on that equipment. The slip is glued into the logbook of the precinct electoral commission.
In the presence of the commission members and the persons entitled to be in the voting room, the chairperson of the precinct electoral commission opens the fireproof safe, takes out the commission members’ personal seals and hands them out according to the drawing of lots, takes out the ballots, the ballot envelopes and the seal, stamps the logbook and announces the seal number, checks that the ballot box is empty, and closes and seals the ballot box. The chairperson hands the ballots and ballot envelopes, in packs of one hundred, to the members responsible for handing them out. One hundred self-adhesive stamps are given to the member who affixes the stamps and is responsible for the ballot box. If votes for the head of the community and for members of the council of elders are held at the same time, one hundred self-adhesive stamps are given for each election. The actions taken are recorded in the logbook of the precinct electoral commission.
Article 65. Start and procedure of voting
1. On voting day, at 8:00, the chairperson of the precinct electoral commission announces the start of voting and lets voters into the voting room.
2. The chairperson of the commission organises and supervises the voting, assists the members performing duties where necessary, and replaces them and the technician during a temporary absence. On the chairperson’s instructions, the secretary of the commission makes entries in the logbook, assists the members performing duties, and replaces them and the technician during a temporary absence. On the chairperson’s instructions, a commission member not performing a duty at that moment replaces the technician during a temporary absence.
3. Entering the polling centre with weapons or ammunition is prohibited.
4. Military servicemen and persons serving in the national security and police forces enter the polling centre not in formation and without weapons or ammunition. If the normal course of voting is endangered, only police officers may enter the polling centre with weapons, with the permission of the chairperson of the precinct electoral commission.
5. If the number of voters in the voting room is so large that it clearly disrupts the normal course of voting, the chairperson of the electoral commission has the right to limit the number of voters in the voting room at the same time, but to no fewer than 15, letting voters into the voting room in turn, one by one. If the electoral commission is unable to enforce this part, it is enforced with the help of the police at the request of the chairperson of the electoral commission.
6. One journalist and one photographer or one video operator from each mass medium have the right to be present in the voting room at the same time. Up to two observers from each international organisation, accompanied by an interpreter, and, in the case of local observers, one observer from each organisation, may attend the sessions of the electoral commission and, during voting, be present at the polling centre (in the voting room).
7. If the number of observers and media representatives in the voting room is so large that it clearly disrupts the normal course of voting, the precinct electoral commission may, by a decision adopted by at least 2/3 of the votes of all commission members, set the maximum number of observers and media representatives entitled to be in the voting room at the same time. The decision must comply with the principle of proportionality, and in any case the number set by it may not be fewer than 15. This limitation does not apply to visitors, international observers or representatives of television and radio companies carrying out terrestrial broadcasting. If the electoral commission is unable to enforce this part, it is enforced with the help of the police at the request of the chairperson of the electoral commission.
8. To make voting accessible to voters who have difficulty taking part in it, the Central Electoral Commission must provide additional facilities, ensuring that the voter can express their will freely and that the vote remains secret.
Article 66. Checking the voter’s identity and registering voters
1. The following are accepted as a voter’s identity documents: an identity card, a biometric passport, a non-biometric passport, a temporary document replacing a passport or identity card issued by the authorised body, and, for military servicemen, a military ID or military service book if they register (vote) on the voter list compiled for a military unit. In local self-government elections, the identity document of a voter without citizenship is any of the documents set by decision of the Central Electoral Commission under Article 51 of this Code.
2. The voter takes part in voting in person; voting by proxy is prohibited.
Each voter approaches the technician and presents an identity document.
If the voter has presented a passport or identity card, the technician checks the voter’s identity against the photograph in the document and enters the document into the technical equipment.
If the voter has presented a temporary document replacing a passport or identity card, or the identity document cannot be read by the technical equipment, or, in local self-government elections, the voter has presented the identity document set for voters without citizenship, the technician types into the technical equipment the number of the passport, identity card or identity document of the voter without citizenship recorded in the document presented.
If the voter has presented another person’s identity document, the technician informs the chairperson of the commission. In that case, the chairperson calls police officers into the voting room, who take the measures provided by law.
The expiry of a voter’s identity document is not grounds for refusing to let the voter vote, unless the voter has another identity document that has not expired.
3. If the voter is on the voter list of that polling station, has presented an identity card, a biometric passport or a non-biometric passport issued after 1 January 2008, and has not yet voted with any identity document, the screen shows the voter’s photograph, the voter’s number on the polling station’s voter list and a green sign.
4. If the voter is on the voter list of that polling station, has presented a non-biometric passport issued before 1 January 2008, and has not yet voted with any identity document, the screen shows the voter’s number on the polling station’s voter list and a green sign, without the voter’s photograph. In local self-government elections, if the voter is on the voter list of that polling station, has presented the identity document of a voter without citizenship and has not yet voted with an identity document, the screen shows the voter’s number on the polling station’s voter list and a green sign, without the voter’s photograph.
5. If the voter is not on the voter list of that polling station, the screen shows a yellow sign and, if the technical equipment has the relevant information, also the number of the polling station on whose list the voter is included.
In the case described in this part, the voter is asked to leave the voting room.
6. If the voter has already voted with any of their identity documents, the screen shows a red sign, and the technician informs the chairperson of the commission. In that case, the chairperson calls police officers into the voting room, who take the measures provided by law.
7. When the screen shows a green sign, the voter enters the fingerprint of their right index finger. If that is not possible, a fingerprint is entered in the following order of priority: left index finger, right middle finger, left middle finger, right ring finger, left ring finger, right little finger, left little finger, right thumb, left thumb. If no fingerprint can be entered, the fingerprint step is skipped. The technical equipment then prints a voting slip containing the voter’s number on the voter list, surname, first name, identity document number, the slip’s serial number and, if available in the digital database, the voter’s photograph. The Central Electoral Commission may set requirements for additional data to appear on the screen and to be printed on the voting slip.
8. The technician returns the printed voting slip to the voter together with the identity document, after which the voter approaches the relevant commission member who registers voters. The commission member registering voters takes the voting slip from the voter and finds the voter’s line on the voter list; the voter signs next to their details in the column for the voter’s signature, and the member places their personal seal in the relevant column, then stamps the voting slip with their personal seal and hands it back to the voter.
9. Voters are registered without using the technical equipment in the following cases:
1) voting on the list of voters registered in a military unit;
2) voting in a penitentiary institution;
3) voting with a mobile ballot box;
4) voting on an additional voter list compiled on voting day;
5) voting when the technical equipment has broken down or is unavailable.
10. When voters are registered without the technical equipment, the relevant commission member checks the voter’s identity, finds the voter’s details on the voter list (when voting on an additional voter list compiled on voting day, fills in the voter’s first name, patronymic and surname), and fills in the number of the voter’s identity document, after which the voter signs next to their name and the commission member places their personal seal next to the signature. If the voter cannot sign the voter list themselves, they have the right to ask another citizen for help, except members of the electoral commission.
In the cases provided for in points 1 and 4 of part 9 of this Article, after registration in the manner set by part 10 of this Article, the technician enters into the technical equipment which list the voter belongs to and the voter’s number on that list, after which the voter enters their fingerprint. After these steps, the technical equipment prints a voting slip showing which list the voter belongs to, the voter’s number on that list and the slip’s serial number. The technician hands the slip to the voter.
In the cases provided for in points 2, 3 and 5 of part 9 of this Article, the relevant commission member fills in a numbered slip, indicating which list the voter belongs to and the voter’s number on the list, stamps the voting slip with their personal seal and hands it to the voter.
11. The form of the numbered slip is set by the Central Electoral Commission.
Article 67. Voting
1. Immediately after receiving the voting slip, the voter approaches the commission member responsible for handing out ballots and ballot envelopes and presents the voting slip.
2. In National Assembly elections, the commission member responsible for handing out ballots and ballot envelopes gives the voter one ballot for each party taking part in the elections and one ballot envelope. The voter may not refuse to receive all the ballots.
In elections to the councils of elders of Yerevan, Gyumri and Vanadzor, as well as elections of the head of a community and members of the council of elders, the commission member responsible for handing out ballots and ballot envelopes gives the voter one ballot and one ballot envelope (when several votes are held at the same time, ballots and ballot envelopes).
The voter goes into the voting booth to vote.
3. In National Assembly elections, the voter chooses one of the parties taking part in the elections by placing that party’s ballot in the ballot envelope. To choose one of the candidates on a territorial electoral list, the voter makes a uniform mark, in the form set by the Central Electoral Commission, on the second page of the chosen party’s ballot, in the box next to the name of the candidate they are voting for. The ballot is placed in the envelope without folding. Unused ballots are dropped into a separate box placed in the voting booth.
4. In elections to the councils of elders of Yerevan, Gyumri and Vanadzor, the voter makes a uniform mark, in the form set by the Central Electoral Commission, in the box next to the name of the party they are voting for, and places the ballot in the ballot envelope.
5. In elections of the head of a community and members of the council of elders, the voter makes a uniform mark, in the form set by the Central Electoral Commission, in the box next to the name of the candidate they are voting for. When a single candidate is on the ballot, the voter marks the box next to the words “I am in favour” to vote for, or “I am against” to vote against. When several votes are held at the same time, the voter places each ballot in the corresponding envelope.
6. It is prohibited to find out in any way how a voter is voting.
7. Immediately after voting, the voter approaches the member at the ballot box who affixes the self-adhesive stamps and is responsible for the ballot box, and hands over the voting slip. The commission member checks the slip and, on their own initiative or at the request of another commission member or a proxy, may also check the voter’s identity document. Without taking the ballot envelope from the voter, the commission member affixes the self-adhesive stamp to the ballot through the cut-out in the envelope, then opens the slot of the ballot box and lets the voter drop the envelope into the ballot box.
If the voter does not present a voting slip, the member who affixes the self-adhesive stamps and is responsible for the ballot box informs the chairperson of the precinct electoral commission, who takes the ballot envelope from the voter and cancels it immediately, without checking its contents.
8. If, during voting, the member who affixes the stamps and is responsible for the ballot box runs out of self-adhesive stamps, the chairperson of the precinct electoral commission hands them the next batch of stamps after receiving the voting slips from them. The voting slips are counted, and the number is recorded in the logbook of the precinct electoral commission.
At the end of their shift, and at the end of voting, the member who affixes the stamps and is responsible for the ballot box hands the unused self-adhesive stamps and the voting slips received from voters to the chairperson of the commission. The voting slips and unused stamps are counted, and the numbers are recorded in the logbook of the precinct electoral commission.
9. A voter who is unable to fill in the ballot on their own has the right, after informing the chairperson of the commission, to invite another person into the voting booth, who must not be a member of the electoral commission, a proxy, an observer, a media representative or a visitor. A person may help only one voter who is unable to fill in the ballot on their own. Except in this case, the presence of any other person in the voting booth while the ballot is being filled in is prohibited. The details of the person helping a voter who cannot fill in the ballot on their own are recorded in the logbook of the precinct electoral commission.
10. If the voter believes they have filled in the ballot incorrectly or damaged it, they may ask the chairperson of the commission for a new ballot. On the chairperson’s instructions, the voter is given a new ballot (in National Assembly elections, one ballot for each party taking part in the elections). The incorrectly filled-in (damaged) ballot or ballots are cancelled immediately.
11. The voter has no right to announce at the polling centre how they voted.
12. After voting, the voter must leave the voting room immediately.
13. During voting, a candidate, or a candidate included on the electoral list of a party taking part in the elections, is prohibited from being at the polling centre or within a radius of up to 50 metres around it, except to vote.
14. If a commission member, a proxy or an observer considers that the voting procedure provided for by this Code was violated during voting, they have the right to demand that their assessment be recorded in the logbook of the precinct electoral commission.