The Police and Crime Commissioner Elections Order 2012

Tampering with nomination papers, ballot papers etc

20.—(1) A person is guilty of an offence, if, at a PCC election, the person—

(a) fraudulently defaces or fraudulently destroys any nomination paper, or

(b) fraudulently defaces or fraudulently destroys any ballot paper, or the official mark on any ballot paper, or any postal voting statement or official envelope used in connection with voting by post, or

(c) without due authority supplies any ballot paper to any person, or

(d) fraudulently puts into any ballot box any paper other than the ballot paper which the person is authorised by law to put in, or

(e) fraudulently takes out of the polling station any ballot paper, or

(f) without due authority destroys, takes, opens or otherwise interferes with any ballot box or packet of ballot papers then in use for the purposes of the PCC election, or

(g) fraudulently or without due authority, as the case may be, attempts to do any of the foregoing acts.

(2) If a police area returning officer, a local returning officer, a presiding officer or a clerk appointed to assist in taking the poll, counting the votes or assisting at the proceedings in connection with the issue or receipt of postal ballot papers is guilty of an offence under this article, the officer or clerk is liable—

(a) on conviction on indictment to a fine, or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years, or to both;

(b) on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum, or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months, or to both.

(3) If any other person is guilty of an offence under this article, that person is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale, or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months, or to both.