Skopje, 24 August 2021 (MIA) – The transport of confidential voting materials, including fingerprint scanners, will for the first time at the upcoming local elections take place with police escort. The State Election Commission (SEC) at a session on Tuesday adopted a rulebook for police activities at the elections, which it drafted together with the Interior Ministry. The SEC also adopted on Tuesday instructions which entail that UV lamps and spray will continue to be used for the voting of the sick and bedridden instead of fingerprint scanners. “For the first time ever, confidential voting materials, which include ballots, the electoral roll and fingerprint scanners, will be transported with police escort during the local elections. This means that all confidential election materials will be secured, protected and transported by the police,” SEC member Boris Kondarko said. Moreover, he added, the SEC will cooperate at the local elections with the Interior Ministry’s central election HQ. SEC vice president Ditmire Shehu said that UV lamps and spray will continue to be used for the voting of the sick and bedridden instead of fingerprint scanners. The Commission, she underlined, also adopted instructions on the conditions they have to meet in order to be able to vote from home one day ahead of the official voting day. Fingerprint scanners are set to be introduced in the voting process in North Macedonia at the upcoming local elections, scheduled for October 17. The first batch of 250 scanners is set to arrive at the SEC on Wednesday.