SCHEDULE 2 Amendments to the 1985 Order

Part 3 Amendments to Part 3 of Schedule 2 (Absent voting – issue and receipt of ballot papers)
27 In paragraph 17 (opening of covering envelopes) after sub-paragraph (4) insert—

“5 Where an envelope opened in accordance with sub-paragraph (1) contains a declaration of identity, the returning officer must, having first unsealed the relevant packet, place a mark in the marked copy of the absent voters list or the proxy postal voters list in a place corresponding to the number of the elector to denote that a postal vote has been returned.
6 A mark made under sub-paragraph (5) must be distinguishable from and must not obscure the mark made under paragraph 6(1).
7 As soon as practicable after the last covering envelope has been opened, the returning officer must make up into a packet the copy of the absent voters list and the copy of the proxy postal voters list that have been marked in accordance with sub-paragraph (5) and must seal that packet.”

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