Paragraph 1 Interpretation

In these Rules, unless the context indicates otherwise—

• “the 1983 Act” means the Representation of the People Act 1983^f1;

• “the 2000 Act” means the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000^f2;

• “the Elections Regulations” means the Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001^f3;

• “the Preparations Act” means the Regional Assemblies (Preparations) Act 2003^f4;

• “the RP Act 2000” means the Representation of the People Act 2000^f5;

• “absent voters list” means the list kept under paragraph 5 of Schedule 4 to the RP Act 2000;

• “assistance and delivery point” has the meaning given in rule 21(1);

• “ballot number” means a barcode, which may include printed letters and numbers, unique to each ballot pack;

• “ballot pack” has the meaning given in rule 10(2);

• “combined ballot paper” has the meaning given in rule 6(3);

• “combined polls” means the poll at a Regional Assembly referendum and the poll at a local government referendum taken together;

• “combined referendums” means a Regional Assembly referendum and local government referendum where the polls are taken together;

• “contingency delivery point” has the meaning given in rule 30(1);

• “delivery point ballot box” means a ballot box provided pursuant to rule 24(1) and rule 30(5);

• “elector”, in relation to a referendum, means any person whose name is for the time being on the register to be used at the referendum, but does not include those shown in the register as below voting age on the date of the referendum;

• “final ballot box” means a ballot box provided pursuant to rule 39(1)(b);

• “list of ballot numbers issued” has the meaning given in rule 14(4);

• “local government referendum” means a referendum held in a county area pursuant to an order under section 2(2) of the Preparations Act;

• “permitted participant” has the same meaning as in section 105(1) and (1A) of the 2000 Act, as applied and modified by article 7 of, and the Table in Part 1 of Schedule 3 to, the Regional Assembly and Local Government Referendums Order 2004;

• “preliminary ballot box” means a ballot box provided pursuant to rule 39(1)(a);

• “referendum” means a Regional Assembly referendum or local government referendum to which the Regional Assembly and Local Government Referendums Order 2004 applies;

• “referendum area” means the area in which a referendum is held;

• “Regional Assembly referendum” means a referendum held in a region pursuant to an order under section 1(1) of the Preparations Act;

• “register of electors” in relation to a referendum means the register of electors to be used at the referendum;

• “tactile voting device” means a device provided pursuant to rule 24(6)(d);

• “universal postal service provider” has the meaning given in the Postal Services Act 2000^f6 to a “universal service provider”;

• “voter” means a person voting at a referendum and includes a person voting as proxy, and “voting” (whether noun or verb) shall be construed accordingly, except that any reference to an elector voting or an elector’s vote shall include a reference to an elector voting by proxy or an elector’s vote given by proxy; and

• “voting area” means one of the following, where comprised in the referendum area—

  1. (a)

     a district in England,

  2. (b)

     the Isle of Wight,

  3. (c)

     the Isles of Scilly.

Where a counting officer reads a ballot number he may do so by using an electronic scanner.