A person commits an offence if the person, for the purpose of promoting or procuring a particular outcome in the referendum, issues any poll card or document so closely resembling an official poll card as to be calculated to deceive.

An offence under sub-paragraph (1) is an illegal practice, but the court before which a person is convicted of any such offence may, if the court thinks it just in the special circumstances of the case, mitigate or entirely remit any incapacity imposed by virtue of paragraph 18.