Where the counting officer receives a valid postal voting statement without the postal ballot paper to which it relates, the counting officer may, at any time prior to the close of the poll, check the list kept under paragraph 39(2) to see whether the number of any postal ballot paper to which the statement relates is entered in the list.

Where the counting officer receives a postal ballot paper without the postal voting statement to which it relates, the counting officer may, at any time prior to the close of the poll, check the list kept under paragraph 39(3) to see whether the number of the postal ballot paper is entered in the list.

The counting officer must conduct the checks required by sub-paragraphs (1) and (2) as soon as practicable after the receipt, under rule 28(1)(d) of the conduct rules, of packets from every polling station in the local government area.

Where the ballot paper number in the list matches that number on a valid postal voting statement or (as the case may be) the postal ballot paper, the counting officer must retrieve that statement or paper.

The counting officer must then take the appropriate steps under this Part of this schedule as though any document earlier marked “provisionally rejected” had not been so marked and must amend the document accordingly.