Western Australian Current Acts Western Australian Current Acts (1) As soon as
practicable after the close of the poll the returning officer for each
district shall —
(a) open
all ballot boxes received from polling places within the district that have
not been opened by an assistant returning officer and count all the votes on
the ballot papers, rejecting all informal ballot papers, and ascertain the
number of votes marked, respectively, in each of the authorised manners; and
(b)
enclose —
(i)
in one packet, all the used ballot papers in his
possession; and
(ii)
in another packet, all the unused ballot papers in his
possession; and
(iii)
in another packet all copies of rolls, books,
communications from officers, or other papers or documents used or received at
or in connection with the referendum, that are in his possession,
other than those that
have been forwarded to him under section 26(1)(c); and
(c) seal
up those packets, indorse each with a description of its contents and with the
name of the district and the date of the poll, and sign the indorsement; and
(d)
prepare a statement certifying —
(i)
the number of votes marked, respectively, in each of the
authorised manners; and
(ii)
the number of ballot papers rejected as informal;
and
(e)
enclose —
(i)
in one packet, all the packets made up under
section 26(1)(b)(i) and forwarded to him under section 26(1)(c), the
statements forwarded to him with those packets, the packet made up by him
under paragraph (b)(i) and the statement prepared by him under paragraph (d);
and
(ii)
in another packet, all the packets made up under
section 26(1)(b)(ii) and forwarded to him under section 26(1)(c) and the
packet made up by him under paragraph (b)(ii); and
(iii)
in another packet, all the packets made up under
section 26(1)(b)(iii) and forwarded to him under section 26(1)(c) and the
packet made up by him under paragraph (b)(iii);
and
(f) seal
up those packets, indorse each with a description of its contents and with the
name of the district and the date of the poll, sign the indorsement, and
forward the packets to the Electoral Commissioner.
(2) The packets
mentioned in subsection (1)(b)(i) and (e)(i), respectively, shall be sealed
before the scrutineers (if any) present and any scrutineer who desires to do
so shall be permitted by the returning officer to affix his seal on any such
packet.
(3) The statement
prepared under subsection (1)(d) shall be verified by the signature of the
returning officer and also by the signatures of such of the scrutineers (if
any) as are present and consent to sign it.
(4) Where a referendum
is held on the same day as an election subsection (1)(b)(iii) and (e)(iii) do
not apply to papers or documents that relate to both the referendum and the
election.
[Section 27 amended: No. 40 of 1987 s. 103.]