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The Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001

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Changes over time for: Section 84

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Version Superseded: 06/04/2014

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Point in time view as at 03/08/2012. This version of this provision has been superseded. Help about Status

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There are outstanding changes not yet made by the legislation.gov.uk editorial team to The Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001. Any changes that have already been made by the team appear in the content and are referenced with annotations. Help about Changes to Legislation

Opening of covering envelopesE+W

84.[F1(1) 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) Where the covering envelope does not contain the [F3postal voting statement] separately, the returning officer shall open the ballot paper envelope to ascertain whether the [F3postal voting statement] is inside.

(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.

[F4(5) 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.]

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