Elections Act 2001

Countermand or abandonment of poll on death of candidate

13 (1) Rule 60 is amended as follows.

(2) After paragraph (1) insert—

“(1A) Neither the countermand of the poll at the parliamentary election nor the direction that that poll be abandoned affects the poll at the local election.”

(3) For paragraph (2) substitute—

“(2) If the poll at the parliamentary election is abandoned because of a candidate’s death—

(a) no further ballot papers at that election must be delivered in any polling station;

(b) at the close of the poll for the local election the presiding officer must comply with the requirements of rule 43 (as amended by the Schedule to the Elections Act 2001) as if the poll at the parliamentary election had not been abandoned;

(c) the returning officer must dispose of ballot papers used at the parliamentary election and other documents in his possession as he is required to do on the completion in due course of the counting of the votes,

but this is subject to paragraph (2A).

(2A) In a case falling within paragraph (2)—

(a) a ballot paper account for the parliamentary election need not be prepared or verified;

(b) the returning officer, having separated the ballot papers relating to the local election, must take no step or further step for the counting of the ballot papers used at the parliamentary election or of the votes;

(c) the returning officer must seal up all of those ballot papers whether the votes on them have been counted or not;

(d) it is not necessary to seal up counted and rejected ballot papers in separate packets.”