The Representation of the People (England and Wales) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2006

Amendment to procedure for the opening of covering envelopes

51.  In regulation 84, after paragraph (4) insert—

“(5) Where—

(a) an envelope contains the postal voting statement of an elector with an anonymous entry, and

(b) paragraph (4) does not apply,

the returning officer shall set aside that envelope and its contents for personal identifier verification in accordance with regulation 85A.

(6) In carrying out the procedures in this regulation and regulations 85 to 88, the returning officer—

(a) shall keep the ballot papers face downwards and shall take proper precautions for preventing any person from seeing the votes made on the ballot papers; and

(b) shall not be permitted to view the corresponding number list used at the issue of postal ballot papers.

(7) Where an envelope opened in accordance with paragraph (1B) contains a postal voting statement, the returning officer shall place a mark in the marked copy of the postal voters list or proxy postal voters list in a place corresponding to the number of the elector to denote that a postal vote has been returned.

(8) A mark made under paragraph (7) shall be distinguishable from and shall not obscure the mark made under regulation 72(3).

(9) As soon as practicable after the last covering envelope has been opened, the returning officer shall make up into a packet the copy of the marked postal voters list and proxy postal voters list that have been marked in accordance with paragraph (7) and shall seal such a packet.”