Bulgaria's Central Election Commission (CIK) has changed its guidance on voting machines. The new rules say when a voter can try a second time if the machine fails.
CIK spokeswoman Assoc. Prof. Stoyanka Balova told BNT on Friday that the commission has sent new instructions on machine voting to municipal and district election commissions.
What happened before: Central Election Commission sends new guidance on machine voting before runoff
The change follows mismatches in the first round of the presidential election last Sunday. In four regions, the machines counted fewer votes than there were voter signatures. Under the old rules, a voter with such a problem could not try again, and the machine's data stood.
In Veliko Tarnovo, the control receipts in three polling stations did not match the number of voter signatures when the election papers were handed in after the first round.
In polling station nine, the problem appeared during voting. For one voter the machine printed no receipt. For the next it printed two, one of them blank. Commission members say the chair at the time did not alert the technicians. The mismatch came to light only when the papers were handed in to the regional election commission (RIK).
Election day in Veliko Tarnovo began calmly. In station nine the commission was fully ready, but at first there were no voters. Polling station commission members must keep a close watch on the machines today.
The station now has a new chair, Kiril Iliev. He advises voters to wait for the beep before they take out the receipt and their card, and to fold the paper slips in four so the vote cannot be seen. "People do not need to rush when they use the machine, so they do not damage the device," Iliev told BNT.
He does not yet know all the details of the new instructions, because he took over at the last moment. He will watch each case and, if needed, consult RIK specialists. "If there is a problem with the machine, getting in touch with the RIK at once is of course a must," he added.