The Police and Crime Commissioner Elections Order 2012

Opening of covering envelopes U.K.

48.—(1) When a postal voters' ballot box is opened, the local returning officer must count and record the number of covering envelopes (including any envelope which is stated to include a postal vote and any envelope described in paragraph 46(2)).

F1 (2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(3) The local returning officer must open separately each covering envelope (including an envelope described in paragraph 46(2)).

[F2 (4) The procedure in paragraph 51 applies where a covering envelope (including an envelope to which paragraph 46(2) applies) contains a postal voting statement.]

(5) Where the covering envelope does not contain the postal voting statement separately, the local returning officer must open the ballot paper envelope to ascertain whether the postal voting statement is inside.

[F3 (6) Where a covering envelope does not contain a postal voting statement (whether separately or not) the local returning officer must mark the covering envelope “provisionally rejected”, attach its contents (if any) and place it in the receptacle for rejected votes.]

F4 (7) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(8) In carrying out the procedures in this paragraph and paragraphs 50 to 56, the local returning officer—

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

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

(9) Where an envelope opened in accordance with sub-paragraph (3) contains a postal voting statement, the local returning officer must place a mark in the marked copy of the postal voters list or proxy postal voters list in a place corresponding to the number of the elector to denote that a postal vote has been returned.

(10) A mark made under sub-paragraph (9) must be distinguishable from and not obscure the mark made under paragraph 36(2).

(11) As soon as practicable after the last covering envelope has been opened, the local returning officer must make up into a packet the copy of the marked postal voters list and proxy postal voters list that have been marked in accordance with sub-paragraph (9) and must seal such a packet.

Textual Amendments

F1 Sch. 2 para. 48(2) omitted (6.4.2014) by virtue of The Police and Crime Commissioner Elections (Amendment) Order 2014 (S.I. 2014/921), arts. 1(5), 21(2) (with art. 1(5))

F2 Sch. 2 para. 48(4) substituted (6.4.2014) by The Police and Crime Commissioner Elections (Amendment) Order 2014 (S.I. 2014/921), arts. 1(5), 21(3) (with art. 1(5))

F3 Sch. 2 para. 48(6) substituted (6.4.2014) by The Police and Crime Commissioner Elections (Amendment) Order 2014 (S.I. 2014/921), arts. 1(5), 21(4) (with art. 1(5))

F4 Sch. 2 para. 48(7) omitted (6.4.2014) by virtue of The Police and Crime Commissioner Elections (Amendment) Order 2014 (S.I. 2014/921), arts. 1(5), 21(2) (with art. 1(5))