16Procedures for enabling a registered secure telephone voter to vote

16 Procedures for enabling a registered secure telephone voter to vote

(1) The Electoral Commissioner must determine, in writing, procedures for enabling a registered secure telephone voter to vote by a secure telephone vote. (2) The procedures must ensure that the voter: (a) receives the same information (in the same order), and has the same voting options, as would appear in the ballot paper that the voter would be given for the election if the voter were voting under Part XVI of the Act; and (b) is able to indicate the voter’s vote in a way that, if the voter were marking a ballot paper, would satisfy the requirements of section 239 or 240 of the Act. (3) The procedures must not require a call centre operator to communicate orally to a registered secure telephone voter the information referred to in paragraph (2)(a) of this section unless, at the time the voter requests to vote by a secure telephone vote, the voter affirms that they are unable to access or use the representation of the ballot paper for the election that is available on the Commission’s website. Representation of ballot paper (4) The procedures must require a representation of the ballot paper for the election to be available on the Commission’s website throughout the period: (a) beginning at the earliest time when an individual may apply to be registered as a secure telephone voter for the election; and (b) ending at the latest time when voting by a secure telephone vote is available for an individual in the election. (5) The Electoral Commissioner must ensure that the representation of the ballot paper: (a) provides a registered secure telephone voter with the same information (in the same order), and the same voting options, as would appear in the ballot paper that the voter would be given for the election if the voter were voting under Part XVI of the Act; and (b) is visually distinguishable from the ballot paper for the election that the voter would be given if the voter were voting under Part XVI of the Act; and (c) is available throughout the period referred to in subsection (4). Scrutiny (6) The procedures must make provision for scrutineers in attendance at authorised call centres to monitor performance of the duties of call centre operators. (7) The procedures must enable a scrutineer, upon request, to listen to a call between a voter and a call centre operator at any time when the call centre operator is performing duties under section 14. The procedures must require voters to be informed that scrutineers may listen to such calls. (8) An audio recording must not be made of a request to vote by a secure telephone vote or of a vote by a secure telephone vote.