65Scrutiny of postal voting papers

65 Scrutiny of postal voting papers (1) The following provisions apply to the scrutiny of postal voting papers. (2) An authorised officer must reject postal voting papers if the authorised officer is satisfied that: (a) the postal voting papers were signed after 6 pm on election day; or (b) the postal voting papers were received after 12 noon on the 13th day after election day. (4) Subject to subregulation (5), the authorised officer must admit a postal ballot paper for scrutiny if satisfied that: (a) the voter has signed the postal vote certificate and the authorised officer has no reason to doubt that the signature is that of the voter; and (b) one of the following applies: (i) the election is not a mandatory postal vote election and the signature is that of the elector who signed the application; (ii) the election is a mandatory postal vote election, the postal voting papers were issued to a person other than a person who applied for postal voting papers under regulation 37(1) and the number on the postal vote

Local Government (Electoral) Regulations 2021 40 certificate corresponds with the number of the person on the electoral roll. (4A) For subregulation (4)(a), if the authorised officer has any reason to doubt that the signature on the postal vote certificate is that of the voter, the authorised officer must: (a) check the signature against the most recent record (if any) of the voter's signature that is available to the authorised officer; and (b) if the authorised officer remains in any doubt as to whether the signature is that of the voter, the authorised officer must: (i) make all reasonable attempts to contact the voter; and (ii) give the voter the opportunity to provide evidence of the voter's identity by 12 noon on the 13th day after election day. (5) If replacement postal voting papers have been issued, or issued and sent, to a voter and the authorised officer receives both the replacement postal voting papers and the other voting papers replaced by the replacement postal voting papers, the authorised officer must admit only the replacement postal ballot paper for scrutiny. (6) When the authorised officer admits for scrutiny a postal ballot paper issued or issued and sent to a voter, other than a voter who applied for postal voting papers under regulation 37(1), the authorised officer must: (a) place a mark against the voter's name on the electoral roll; and (b) take the ballot paper out of the envelope and, without unfolding it, place it in a ballot box; and (c) place the envelope in a parcel with all other envelopes from (7) If the authorised officer rejects postal voting papers under subregulation (2), the officer must mark the unopened envelope with the word "rejected" before placing it in a parcel of rejected postal voting papers.

Local Government (Electoral) Regulations 2021 41