More than 4.4 million Slovaks and foreigners with permanent residence in Slovakia are expected to vote in Saturday's regional elections. They will elect the governors and the members of regional councils in Slovakia's eight regions for the next five years. Voters are supposed to have already received an official letter informing them at which polling station they can cast their ballot depending on their official address. Those who did not receive it can search for this information on the website of the local municipality. On Saturday when they go to cast their ballot, voters are asked to present their ID card (in case of foreigners the "pink card" which proves their residence in Slovakia). The electoral commission members will check the ID and then search for the voters on the list. Those who are not on this list but are entitled to cast their ballot at that polling station will be registered on an additional list. Once this procedure is finished, the voter is given two ballot papers - one for the election to the council members and the ballot for the election of the head of region - and an empty envelope stamped with the official seal of the municipality (city or town). The voter confirms it with a handwritten signature on the voters' list.
In a designated booth, the voter circles the numbers next to the names of the candidates for regional council; the total number for a particular constituency is written on the ballot. As for the region's head, the voter may circle only one candidate. Subsequently, the voter enters the ballots for election into the envelope and introduces it into the poll box after leaving the booth. The ballot is invalid if the voter does not choose any candidate or chooses more than the required number in the electoral district. If the voter makes a mistake, at his or her request, the District Election Commission will issue another ballot. Voters who cannot read or write on their own and notify this fact to a district election commission prior to voting shall have the right to take another person with them who can mark the candidates chosen by the respective voters.
