The Neighbourhood Planning (Referendums) Regulations 2012

[F1 Spoilt postal ballot papers E+W

25.— (1) If a postal voter has inadvertently dealt with that person’s postal ballot paper or postal voting statement in such a manner that it cannot be conveniently used as a ballot paper or, as the case may be, a postal voting statement, the postal voter may return (either by hand or by post) to the counting officer the spoilt ballot paper or, as the case may be, the spoilt postal voting statement.

(2) Where a postal voter exercises the entitlement conferred by paragraph (1), the postal voter must also return—

(a) the postal ballot paper or, as the case may be, the postal voting statement, whether spoilt or not; and

(b) the envelopes supplied for the return of those documents.

(3) Where the counting officer receives the documents referred to in paragraph (1) and, where applicable, paragraph (2)—

(a) by 5 pm on the day before the date of the business referendum, the counting officer shall issue another postal ballot paper, and may hand it to a postal voter who applies in person;

(b) after 5 pm on the day before the date of the business referendum but by 5 pm on the day of the business referendum, the counting officer must only issue another postal ballot paper if the postal voter returned the documents by hand and applies in person, and may only hand a replacement ballot paper to that postal voter.

(4) Paragraphs 20 (except paragraph (2)), 21, 22 and 23 shall apply to the issue of a replacement postal ballot paper under sub-paragraph (3) above.

(5) Any postal ballot paper or postal voting statement, whether spoilt or not, returned in accordance with paragraph (1) or (2) must be immediately cancelled.

(6) The counting officer must, as soon as practicable after cancelling those documents, make them up in a separate packet which must be kept sealed except to put new cancelled documents in it.

(7) The counting officer must keep a list of the name of any postal voter and the corresponding number on the business voting register and the number of the postal ballot paper (or papers) issued under this rule.]

Textual Amendments

F1 Sch. 7 inserted (6.4.2013) by The Neighbourhood Planning (Referendums) (Amendment) Regulations 2013 (S.I. 2013/798), regs. 1, 7, Sch. 2