Referendums (Scotland) Act 2020

Equipment of polling stations S

13 (1) The counting officer must provide each presiding officer with such number of ballot boxes and ballot papers as the counting officer considers necessary. S

(2) Each ballot box is to be constructed so that the ballot papers can be put in, but cannot be withdrawn from it, without the box being opened.

(3) The counting officer must provide each polling station with—

(a) materials to enable voters to mark the ballot papers,

(b) copies of the register of local government electors or such part of it as contains the entries relating to the voters allotted to the station,

(c) the parts of any lists of persons entitled to vote by post or by proxy prepared for the referendum corresponding to the register of local government electors or the part of it provided under sub-paragraph (b),

(d) copies of forms of declarations and other documents required for the purpose of the poll, and

(e) the part of the corresponding number list which contains the numbers corresponding to those on the ballot papers provided to the presiding officer of the polling station.

(4) The reference in paragraph (3)(b) to the copies of the register of local government electors includes a reference to copies of any notices issued under section 13B(3B) or (3D) of the 1983 Act in respect of alterations to the register of local government electors.

(5) A notice giving directions for the guidance of voters in voting is to be displayed—

(a) inside and outside every polling station, and

(b) in every compartment of every polling station.

(6) The notice under paragraph (5) is to be in the form prescribed.

(7) The counting officer must also provide each polling station with—

(a) an enlarged hand-held sample copy of the ballot paper for the assistance of voters who are partially-sighted, and

(b) a device for enabling voters who are blind or partially-sighted to vote without any need for assistance from the presiding officer or any companion.

(8) The counting officer may cause to be displayed at every polling station an enlarged sample copy of the ballot paper and may include a translation of it into such other languages as the counting officer considers appropriate.

(9) The sample copy mentioned in paragraphs (7)(a) and (8) must be clearly marked as a specimen provided only for the guidance of voters in voting.