The Recall of MPs Act 2015 (Recall Petition) Regulations 2015

Signing procedure: England and Wales and Scotland

27.—(1) A signing sheet must be delivered to a person who applies for one, and immediately before delivery—

(a) the number and (unless paragraph (2) applies) name of the elector as stated in the copy of the register must be called out;

(b) the number of the elector must be marked on the list mentioned in regulation 19(3)(d) (equipment at petition signing place) beside the number of the signing sheet to be issued to that person;

(c) a mark must be placed in the copy of the register against the number of the elector to denote that a signing sheet has been received but without showing the particular signing sheet which has been received;

(d) in the case of a person applying for a signing sheet as proxy, a mark must also be placed against the proxy’s name in the list of proxies.

(2) In the case of an elector who has an anonymous entry, that person must show the petition clerk his or her official petition notice and only that person’s number must be called out in pursuance of paragraph (1)(a).

(3) In the case of an elector in respect of whom a notice issued has been issued under section 13BC(6) of the 1983 Act, paragraph (1) is modified as follows—

(a) in subparagraph (a) and (c), for “copy of the register” substitute “copy of the notice issued under section 13BC(6) of the 1983 Act”.

(4) On receiving a signing sheet the person must without undue delay—

(a) decide whether or not to sign the sheet and, if they decide to do so, sign it;

(b) fold it up and show to the petition clerk the back of the signing sheet (so as to disclose the number and other unique identifying mark); and

(c) put the signing sheet so folded up into the ballot box in the petition clerk’s presence.

(5) The person must leave the petition signing place immediately after putting the signing sheet into the ballot box.

(6) A person who for the purpose of signing the petition is in a petition signing place, or in a queue outside a petition signing place, at the end of the day on which the petition is available for signing must (despite the fact that the period for which the petition is available for signing that day has ended) be entitled to apply for a signing sheet under paragraph (1), and these Regulations apply in relation to such a person accordingly.