Representation of the People (Scotland) Regulations 2001

[F1 Postal voting statements: additional personal identifier verification S

85B.— (1) A returning officer may on any occasion at which a postal voters' ballot box is opened in accordance with regulation 83 undertake additional verification of the personal identifiers on any postal voting statement that has on a prior occasion been placed in the receptacle for postal voting statements.

(2) Where a returning officer undertakes additional verification of personal identifiers, he must–

(a) remove as many postal voting statements from the receptacle for postal voting statements as he wishes to subject to additional verification; and

(b) compare the date of birth and the signature on each such postal voting statement against the date of birth and the signature contained in the personal identifiers record relating to the person to whom the postal ballot paper was addressed.

(3) Where the returning officer is no longer satisfied that the postal voting statement has been duly completed he must mark the statement “rejected” and before placing the postal voting statement in the receptacle for rejected votes (verification procedure), he must–

(a) show it to the agents and must permit them to view the entries in the personal identifiers record which relate to the person to whom the postal ballot paper was addressed, and if any of them object to his decision, he must add the words “rejection objected to”;

(b) open any postal ballot box and retrieve the ballot paper corresponding to the ballot paper number on the postal voting statement;

(c) show the ballot paper number on the retrieved ballot paper to the agents; and

(d) attach the ballot paper to the postal voting statement.

(4) Following the removal of a postal ballot paper from a postal ballot box the returning officer must lock and reseal the postal ballot box in the presence of the agents.

(5) Whilst retrieving a ballot paper in accordance with paragraph (3), the returning officer and his staff–

(a) shall keep the ballot papers face downwards and shall take proper precautions for preventing any person seeing the votes made on the ballot papers; and

(b) shall not be permitted to view the corresponding number list used at the issue of postal ballot papers.]

Textual Amendments

F1 Regs. 85A, 85B inserted (with effect in accordance with reg. 1(2)(3) of the amending S.I.) by The Representation of the People (Scotland) (Amendment) Regulations 2008 (S.I. 2008/305), regs. 1(1), 10