PART VISSUE AND RECEIPT OF POSTAL BALLOT PAPERS

Receipt of postal ballot papers

F4Retention of documentsI1C191

1

The returning officer shall F5retain together with the documents mentioned in rule 55 of the elections rules–

a

any packets referred to in regulations 75, 77(6) F1, 78(2C)F3, F978A(2), 84(8), and 89 above, subject to regulation 90 above, endorsing on each packet a description of its contents, the date of the election to which it relates and the name of the constituency or electoral ward for which the election (or elections) was (or were) held, and

b

a completed statement in Form K of the number of postal ballot papers issued.

F10c

any list compiled under regulation 87(4).

2

Where–

a

any covering envelopes are received by the returning officer after the close of the poll (apart from those delivered in accordance with the provisions of regulation 79(3) above);

b

any envelopes addressed to postal voters are returned as undelivered too late to be readdressed, or

c

any spoilt postal ballot papers are returned too late to enable other postal ballot papers to be issued,

the returning officer shall put them unopened in a separate packet, seal up such packet and endorse and F6retain it in the manner described in paragraph (1) above.

4

F7Rules 56, 57 and 58 of the elections rules shall apply to any packet or document F8retained under this regulation F11save that in applying rules 56 and 57 to the list provided for by regulation 87(4), this list and any extracts from it are to be treated as if they were counted ballot papers.

5

A copy of the statement referred to in paragraph (1)(b) above shall be provided by the returning officer to the Secretary of State F2and the Electoral Commission in the period which starts 10 days after the day of the poll and ends 15 days after the day of the poll.