The first materials for the presidential election have arrived at the regional administration in Haskovo: 2,150 rolls of special paper for voting machines, sent by the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB).
The rolls were delivered under guard. The deputy regional governor presented them and said they are kept in a secure place until they are handed out. The Interior Ministry stores them until they go to the municipal administrations, and the regional administration will then split them between the municipalities using lists drawn up in advance.
On Monday, 19 October, 249,300 paper ballots are expected. The number matches the voters and polling stations in the region.
The five demonstration machines are already in Haskovo. Under the schedule, they go to the municipalities for training that runs until 20 October, and then return to the regional administration. The Haskovo regional election commission is still fixing the dates of training for polling station commissions in each municipality. Once it agrees them with the municipalities, it will post them on its website and send them to the media.
The Central Election Commission (CEC) has yet to decide how many polling stations will vote with one machine and how many with two. The preliminary rule is two machines at a station with more than 780 voters, said Ina Veskova, chair of the Haskovo regional election commission. The final decision is up to the CEC.
A station with two machines gets 3 rolls for each machine, and a station with one machine gets 2 rolls. If one of two machines breaks down, voting goes on with the other. If the only machine breaks down, a technician is called. If he cannot fix it, people vote with paper ballots.
Veskova said preparations for the election are going well, with good coordination between the regional administration, the regional election commission, the municipal administrations and the Interior Ministry. She thanked the staff who are helping organise the vote.