The regional election commission in Sofia district is getting training from the Central Election Commission ahead of the October 25 presidential and vice-presidential election. On the same day, the CEC is also training commissions in Plovdiv and Pazardzhik districts.

CEC member Lazarina Vasileva Boneva-Haralampieva led the session. She briefed the commission on voting documents, how to use the machines, complaints and candidate representatives.

Driving licenses and international passports still aren't valid ID for voting, Boneva said. People with disabilities can vote at any polling station. New disability board decisions come without a signature or stamp, so polling station commissions must not turn voters away for that reason.

If a machine breaks down, staff should wait about ten minutes before switching to paper ballots. A technician must be called, and the regional commission must be told right away, which then informs the CEC. If the technician is late or refuses to come, that counts as a problem and must be recorded.

If a machine stops working on election day, the memory stick still goes to the counting center, Boneva explained. The printed slip is valid even if it's shorter or faded, as long as it can be read. Voters cannot vote again to change their choice, since repeat voting isn't allowed — and such cases have come up in past elections across the country.

A member of a regional or polling station commission who takes maternity or paternity leave could lose their benefit, Boneva warned. According to an official reply from the National Social Security Institute, a woman on maternity leave loses her benefit for any period she serves on a polling station commission. For details, Boneva advised people to contact the institute directly.

Candidate representatives and representatives of initiative committees are expected to ask to attend the regional commission's meetings. Members of the commissions themselves cannot register as observers. The CEC keeps track of observers, while the regional commission keeps track of candidate representatives and party representatives.

A complaint must clearly and specifically describe what happened, Boneva said. A note simply saying "a violation took place" isn't enough, she added.