PART VISSUE AND RECEIPT OF POSTAL BALLOT PAPERS
Receipt of postal ballot papers
F1Retrieval of cancelled postal ballot papers86A
1
Where it appears to the returning officer that a cancelled postal ballot paper has been placed–
a
in a postal voters' ballot box;
b
in the receptacle for ballot paper envelopes; or
c
a postal ballot box,
he shall proceed as follows.
2
He shall, on at least one occasion on which a postal voters' ballot box is opened in accordance with regulation 83, also open any postal ballot box and the receptacle for ballot paper envelopes and–
a
retrieve the cancelled ballot paper;
b
show the ballot paper number on the cancelled ballot paper to the agents;
c
retrieve the postal voting statement that relates to a cancelled ballot paper from the receptacle for postal voting statements;
d
attach any cancelled postal ballot paper to the postal voting statement to which it relates;
e
place the cancelled documents in a separate packet and deal with that packet in the manner provided for by regulation 77(6); and
f
unless the postal ballot box has been opened for the purposes of the counting of votes under rule 45 of the elections rules, re lock (if it has a lock) and re seal the postal ballot box in the presence of the agents.
3
Whilst retrieving a cancelled ballot paper in accordance with paragraph (2), 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.