Electoral Act, 1992

Preliminary proceedings.

114.—(1) At 9 a.m. on the day next following the polling day, and at the place appointed under section 112 , the returning officer for the constituency shall, in the presence of the agents of the candidates, open the ballot boxes and extract the ballot papers therefrom.

(2) The ballot papers extracted by the returning officer from each ballot box shall be counted and their total number shall be compared with the number shown in the appropriate ballot paper account. The returning officer shall prepare a statement showing the result of this comparison in respect of all the ballot boxes and he shall, on request allow the agent of any candidate to copy the statement.

(3) The returning officer shall then mix together the whole of the ballot papers and shall forthwith proceed to count the votes in accordance with Part XIX .

(4) The returning officer, while counting and recording the number of ballot papers, shall cause the said papers to be kept face upwards and shall take due precautions to prevent any person from seeing the numbers printed on the backs of the said papers.