Key details should kept in mind for casting your vote in Türkiye's March 31 Elections

Turkish voters will be able to cast their votes for the Local Administration General Elections in 5 steps.

In the elections where 81 provinces, 973 districts, and 390 township mayors will be determined, elections will also be held for provincial general assembly membership and municipal council membership.

In the election, where there are 61 million 441 thousand 882 registered voters, 1 million 32 thousand 610 young people will vote for the first time. Candidates from 34 political parties will compete in the elections. Voters will only vote in the ballot boxes where they are registered, at the location and ballot box indicated on the voter information paper sent to their address.

Here are the steps for voters to cast their votes:

1- Take the unified ballot papers, envelope, and stamp given by the ballot clerk and enter the cabin to cast your vote.

2- Do not exceed the border of the preference section with the stamp. Press the "PREFERENCE" or "YES" stamp without exceeding the border of the section allocated for the political party or independent candidate you prefer on the ballot papers.

The ballot paper for metropolitan municipality mayor will be "white", the ballot paper for provincial general assembly membership will be "orange", the ballot paper for municipal mayor will be "blue", and the ballot paper for municipal council membership will be "yellow" in color.

3- Fold the ballot papers you voted for with the place where you sealed them outside and put them in the envelope.

4- Leave the cabin and put the envelope you voted for into the ballot box.

5- Sign next to your name on the voter list in the ballot box.

In Adana, Ankara, Antalya, Aydın, Balıkesir, Bursa, Denizli, Diyarbakır, Erzurum, Eskişehir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Istanbul, Izmir, Kahramanmaraş, Kayseri, Kocaeli, Konya, Malatya, Manisa, Mardin, Mersin, Muğla, Ordu, Sakarya, Samsun, Şanlıurfa, Tekirdağ, Trabzon, and Van, voters will vote for "metropolitan municipality mayor", "municipal mayor", "municipal council membership", and "muhtarship and elder council".

In provinces without metropolitan municipalities, voting will be held for "provincial general assembly membership", "municipal mayor", "municipal council membership", and "muhtarship and elder council". In villages, voting will be held for "provincial general assembly membership" and "muhtarship and elder council".

When will the votes be invalid?

Ballot papers without the stamp of the ballot board and the YSK watermark on the back.

Ballot papers without "YES" or "preference" stamp.

Ballot papers with stamps for more than one candidate or political party.

Ballot papers with stamps spilled over to the area allocated for more than one political party or candidate.

Ballot papers torn in a way that disrupts integrity.

Ballot papers with any special mark other than the stamp or that are crossed out.

Unified ballot papers with writings, letters, numbers, or drawings.

Situations that will not invalidate the ballot papers:

Accidental tearing of some of the envelopes/opening and reading of the votes.

The ballot being stained, and it is not understood that this was done to put a special mark.

The seal trace on the ballot paper spreading to other parts due to folding and putting it into the envelope.

Overflow of the stamp to the lined area separating the areas.

Stamping multiple times on the political party/independent candidate area without going to another party or candidate area.

Invalidating one ballot paper will not invalidate the others.

Prohibited devices in the voting booth:

Devices such as cell phones, cameras, or communication devices with image recording capabilities cannot be brought into the voting place. These devices must be left with the ballot board to be returned after the voting process is completed.

Who can vote?

Every Turkish citizen who has reached the age of 18 and is registered in the voter register can vote. Voter registers, created with data obtained from the Address Registration System and Identity Sharing System of the General Directorate of Population and Citizenship Affairs, are constantly updated.

Who cannot vote?

Restricted individuals, those banned from public service, soldiers on duty, non-commissioned officers, and sergeants (including those on leave for any reason), military students, those convicted of negligent crimes except those serving in penal institutions.

Voting hours:

Voting will start at 07.00 and end at 16.00 in Adıyaman, Ağrı, Artvin, Bingöl, Bitlis, Diyarbakır, Elazığ, Erzincan, Erzurum, Gaziantep, Giresun, Gümüşhane, Hakkari, Kars, Malatya, Kahramanmaraş, Mardin, Muş, Ordu, Rize, Siirt, Sivas, Trabzon, Tunceli, Şanlıurfa, Van, Bayburt, Batman, Şırnak, Ardahan, Iğdır, and Kilis.

In other provinces, the start and end times of voting are determined as 08.00-17.00.

Where will you vote?

Registered voters can only vote where they are registered. Where and which ballot box the voter will vote is indicated on the voter information paper sent to their address.

Voters can also query their information and get a printout of their voter information paper from the www.ysk.gov.tr website and e-Government Gateway, and query the place and ballot box number to vote from the YSK Mobile Application and YSK Call Center at 444 9 975. Additionally, when voters query www.ysk.gov.tr, they can learn whether they have a duty on the ballot board.

On the voting day, do not forget to bring one of the following documents: Turkish Republic ID card, temporary ID document, identity card, official identity card with a cold stamp given by official institutions, passport, marriage certificate, military certificate, driver's license, professional identity card given to judges and prosecutors and members of high judicial bodies, lawyer, notary, and military ID card, which clearly shows your identity.