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

Cancellation of postal ballot papers

45.  After regulation 86 insert—

“Retrieval of cancelled postal ballot papers

86A.— (1) Where it appears to the returning officer that a cancelled postal ballot paper has been placed—

(a) in a postal voters’ ballot box;

(b) in the receptacle for ballot paper envelopes; or

(c) a postal ballot box,

he shall proceed as follows.

(2) He shall, on at least one occasion on which a postal voters ballot box is opened in accordance with regulation 83, also open any postal ballot box and the receptacle for ballot paper envelopes and—

(a) retrieve the cancelled ballot paper;

(b) show the ballot paper number on the cancelled ballot paper to the agents;

(c) retrieve the postal voting statement that relates to a cancelled ballot paper from the receptacle for postal voting statements;

(d) attach any cancelled postal ballot paper to the postal voting statement to which it relates;

(e) place the cancelled documents in a separate packet and deal with that packet in the manner provided for by regulation 77(6); and

(f) unless the postal ballot box has been opened for the purposes of the counting of votes under rule 45 of the elections rules, re-lock (if it has a lock) and re-seal the postal ballot box in the presence of the agents.

(3) Whilst retrieving a cancelled ballot paper in accordance with paragraph (2), the returning officer and his staff—

(a) shall keep the ballot papers face downwards and shall take proper precautions for preventing any person 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.”