More than 55 million Turks to vote in historic referendum

More than 55 million Turkish citizens will vote Sunday on the April 16 referendum proposing constitutional changes, including giving wide-ranging executive powers to the president.

Citizens will go to over 167,000 polling stations nationwide. Over 1 million of them are first-time voters who recently turned 18. Inmates – except for the criminals who are convicted for intentional crime – will also be able to vote at 463 polling stations located inside state prisons.

Prisoners, who are jailed and pending trial, and who are convicted for negligent crime, will be able to vote in the referendum.

Although the Supreme Election Board has not publicly announced the exact number, according to a story on Turkish national newspaper Milliyet, there are currently 78,894 prisoners who were convicted and would be able to vote, 127 percent more than in the November 1 elections.

Everything you need to know about Turkey’s constitutional referendum

Sunday’s ballots will have two sides with two different colors, and voters will indicate their choice by voting either Yes on the white side of the paper or No on the brown side. Voters will impress a seal on the side they have chosen.

Voters will then place the ballot inside a yellow envelope that has the symbol of the Turkish Republic’s Supreme Election Board on it and cast their ballots.

Voting will take place between 7 am and 4 pm in Turkey’s eastern provinces of Adiyaman, Agri, Artvin, Bingol, Bitlis, Diyarbakir, Elazig, Erzincan, Erzurum, Gaziantep, Giresun, Gumushane, Hakkari, Kars, Malatya, Kahramanmaras, Mardin, Mus, Ordu, Rize, Siirt, Sivas, Trabzon, Tunceli, Sanliurfa, Van, Bayburt, Batman, Sirnak, Ardahan, Igdir, and Kilis.

For the rest of the country, the ballot boxes will be open between 8 am and 5 pm.

The reason for the difference is that the sun rises and sets earlier in the east of the country than in the west.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivers a speech during a meeting in Kartal district of Istanbul, Turkey on April 15, 2017. ( Berk Özkan – Anadolu Agency )