The National Assembly for Wales (Representation of the People) Order 1999

Voting procedure

42.—(1) Subject to sub-paragraph (4), at an Assembly election a ballot paper shall be delivered to a voter who applies for one, and immediately before delivery—

(a) the ballot paper shall be stamped with the official mark,

(b) the number and name of the elector as stated in the copy of the register of electors shall be called out,

(c) the number of the elector shall be marked on the counterfoil,

(d) a mark shall be placed in the register of electors against the number of the elector to denote that a ballot paper has been received but without showing the particular ballot paper which has been received, and

(e) in the case of a person applying for a ballot paper as proxy, a mark shall also be placed against his name in the list of proxies.

(2) The voter, on receiving the ballot paper, shall forthwith proceed into one of the compartments in the polling station and there secretly mark his paper and fold it up so as to conceal his vote, and shall then show to the presiding officer the back of the paper, so as to disclose the official mark, and put the ballot paper so folded up into the ballot box in the presiding officer’s presence.

(3) The voter shall vote without undue delay, and shall leave the polling station as soon as he has put his ballot paper into the ballot box.

(4) At an ordinary election the same copy of the register of electors may be used under sub-paragraph (1) for a constituency election and a regional election and one mark may be placed in that register under sub-paragraph (1)(d) or in the list of proxies under sub-paragraph (1)(e) to denote that a ballot paper has been received in respect of each election except that, where a ballot paper has been issued in respect of one election only, a different mark shall be placed in the register or, as the case may be, list so as to identify the election in respect of which the ballot paper was issued.