26.—(1) At the time of the application for a ballot paper (but not afterwards), the questions specified in the second column of the following Table—
(a)may be put by the presiding officer to a person applying for a ballot paper who is mentioned in the first column; and
(b)must be put if the letter “R” appears after the question and a polling observer requires the question to be put:
| Q No | Person applying for ballot paper | Question |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A person applying as a voter | (a)—Are you the person registered in the register of local government electors for this voting area as follows? |
| (read the whole entry from the register [R]) | ||
| (b)—Have you already voted here or elsewhere at this referendum, otherwise than as proxy for some other person? [R] | ||
| 2 | A person applying as proxy | (a)—Are you the person whose name appears as AB in the list of proxies for this voting area as entitled to vote as proxy on behalf of CD? [R] |
| (b)—Have you already voted here or elsewhere at this referendum as proxy on behalf of CD? [R] | ||
| (c)—Are you the spouse, civil partner, parent, grandparent, brother, sister, child or grandchild of CD? [R] | ||
| 3 | A person applying as proxy for a voter with an anonymous entry (instead of the questions at entry 2) | (a)—Are you the person entitled to vote as proxy on behalf of the voter whose number on the register of electors is (read out the number)? [R] |
| (b)—Have you already voted here or elsewhere as proxy on behalf of the voter whose number on the register of electors is (read out the number)? [R] | ||
| (c)—Are you the spouse, civil partner, parent, grandparent, brother, sister, child or grandchild of the person whose number on the register of electors is (read out the number)? [R] | ||
| 4 | A person applying as proxy if the question at entry 2(c) or 3(c) is not answered in the affirmative | Have you already voted at this referendum on behalf of two persons of whom you are not the spouse, civil partner, parent, grandparent, brother, sister, child or grandchild? [R] |
| 5 | A person applying as a voter in relation to whom there is an entry in the postal voters list | (a)—Did you apply to vote by post? |
| (b)—Why have you not voted by post? | ||
| 6 | A person applying as proxy who is named in the proxy postal voters list | (a)—Did you apply to vote by post as proxy? |
| (b)—Why have you not voted by post as proxy? |
(2) In the case of a person in respect of whom a notice has been issued under section 13B(3B) or (3D) of the 1983 Act, the references in the questions at entries 1(a) and 3(a), (b) and (c) to reading from the register shall be taken as references to reading from the notice issued under section 13B(3B) or (3D) of the 1983 Act.
(3) A ballot paper must not be delivered to any person required to answer any of the above questions unless that person has answered each question satisfactorily.
(4) Except as authorised by this rule, no inquiry shall be permitted as to the right of any person to vote.