Receipt pf Postal Ballot Papers
Opening of covering envelopesI184
F11
When a postal voters’ ballot box is opened, the returning officer shall count and record the number of covering envelopes (including any envelope which is stated to include a postal vote and any envelope described in regulation 82(2)(above).
1A
He shall set aside for personal identifier verification a percentage, not less than 20%, of the envelopes recorded on that occasion.
1B
He shall open separately each covering envelope (including an envelope described in regulation 82(2) above).
2
F2The procedures in regulation 85 or 85A apply where a covering envelope (including an envelope to which regulation 82(2) above applies) contains both—
a
a F3postal voting statement ; and
b
a ballot paper envelope, or if there is no ballot paper envelope, a ballot paper (or ballot papers).
3
4
Where a covering envelope does not contain both—
a
a F3postal voting statement (whether separately or not), and
b
a ballot paper envelope or, if there is no ballot paper envelope, a ballot paper (or ballot papers),
the returning officer shall mark the covering envelope “provisionally rejected”, attach its contents (if any) and place it in the receptacle for rejected votes.
F45
Where—
a
an envelope contains the postal voting statement of an elector with an anonymous entry, and
b
paragraph (4) does not apply,
the returning officer shall set aside that envelope and its contents for personal identifier verification in accordance with regulation 85A.
6
In carrying out the procedures in this regulation and regulations 85 to 88, the returning officer—
a
shall keep the ballot papers face downwards and shall take proper precautions for preventing any person from 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.
7
Where an envelope opened in accordance with paragraph (1B) contains a postal voting statement, the returning officer shall 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.
8
A mark made under paragraph (7) shall be distinguishable from and shall not obscure the mark made under regulation 72(3).
9
As soon as practicable after the last covering envelope has been opened, the returning officer shall 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 paragraph (7) and shall seal such a packet.