The Regional Assembly and Local Government Referendums Order 2004

Voters requesting assistance to vote

29.—(1) If a voter makes an application to the counting officer to be allowed, on the ground of blindness, other physical incapacity or his inability to read, to vote with the assistance of a clerk, the counting officer or one of his clerks shall attend at an agreed time and place to assist the voter, so far as the voter’s circumstances require, in—

(a) marking the voter’s vote on the voter’s ballot paper in the manner directed by the voter;

(b) causing the voter’s security statement to be signed on the voter’s behalf;

(c) causing the ballot paper (or ballot papers) and the voter’s security statement to be placed in the appropriate envelopes.

(2) Before providing the assistance mentioned in paragraph (1)(a) the counting officer or his clerk shall be satisfied as to the voter’s identity.

(3) On request, the counting officer or one of his clerks shall—

(a) make arrangements for the delivery of a tactile voting device to a voter who is blind or partially sighted, at an agreed place and time;

(b) explain to the voter how to use it; and

(c) if so requested by the voter, assist him in so far as is necessary to ensure that the ballot paper and security statement are placed in the correct envelopes for their return.

(4) A clerk who attends on a voter under this rule shall be treated as if he were the counting officer for the purposes of delivery of a ballot paper and security statement by hand to the counting officer under article 5(2)(b) of the Regional Assembly and Local Government Referendums Order 2004.

(5) A voter assisted under this rule may hand to the counting officer or clerk attending on the voter his covering envelope as delivery by hand to the counting officer.

(6) The name and address in the register of electors of every voter whose vote is given with assistance under this rule shall be entered on a list (in these Rules referred to as “the list of voters requesting assistance to vote”).

(7) The same list of voters requesting assistance to vote may be used for combined polls and, where it is used, an entry in that list shall be taken to mean that assistance was provided for both of the referendums, unless the list identifies for which of the referendums the assistance was provided.

(8) In the case of a person voting as proxy for an elector, the name of the elector and the name and address of the proxy shall be entered on the list.