Requirement of secrecyU.K.
123.—(1) A person to whom this paragraph applies must maintain and aid in maintaining the secrecy of the proceedings in connection with the signing of a petition and must not, except for some purpose authorised by law, communicate to any person before the end of the signing period any information as to—
(a)the name of any elector or proxy for an elector who has or has not applied for a signing sheet or signed the petition;
(b)the number on the register of electors of any elector who, or whose proxy, has or has not applied for a signing sheet or signed the petition; or
(c)the official mark.
(2) Paragraph (1) applies to—
(a)a petition officer, petition clerk or assistant attending at a petition signing place;
(b)any representative of the Electoral Commission so attending.
(3) A person attending at the counting of signing sheets relating to a petition must maintain and aid in maintaining the secrecy of such proceedings and must not—
(a)ascertain or attempt to ascertain the number or other unique identifying mark on the back of any signing sheet; or
(b)communicate any information obtained when so attending as to the number of signing sheets which have been signed.
(4) A person must not—
(a)interfere with or attempt to interfere with a person signing a petition; or
(b)communicate to any person the number or other unique identifying mark on the back of the signing sheet issued to a person at a petition signing place.
(5) A person attending the proceedings in connection with the issue or the receipt of postal signing sheets must maintain and aid in maintaining the secrecy of those proceedings and must not, except for some purpose authorised by law—
(a)communicate to any person, before the end of the signing period, any information obtained at those proceedings as to the official mark;
(b)communicate to any person at any time any information obtained at those proceedings as to the number or other unique identifying mark on the back of the signing sheet sent to any person; or
(c)attempt to ascertain at proceedings on the receipt of signing sheets the number or other unique identifying mark on the back of any such sheet.
(6) A person guilty of an offence under this regulation is liable on summary conviction to a fine or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months.