Paragraph 42 Opening of covering envelopes
When a preliminary ballot box is opened, the counting officer shall count and record the number of covering envelopes, and shall then open each covering envelope separately.
Where the covering envelope does not contain a security statement, the counting officer shall open any ballot paper envelope within it to ascertain whether it contains a valid security statement.
Where the covering envelope (or any ballot paper envelope opened under paragraph (2)) contains more than one security statement, rules 43 to 47 shall apply to each of the security statements so found.
In carrying out the procedures under rules 43 to 47, the counting officer—
before placing a security statement or a ballot paper in the receptacle for rejected votes or the receptacle for cancelled ballot papers, shall first show it and any documents attached to it to the referendum agents and receipt agents, and if any of them object to his decision, he shall add the words “rejection objected to”;
shall keep the ballot papers face down and shall take all proper precautions for preventing any person from seeing the votes made on the ballot papers.