Paragraph 24 Retrieval of cancelled postal ballot papers
Where it appears to the returning officer that a cancelled postal ballot paper has been placed—
in a postal voters’ ballot box;
in the receptacle for ballot paper envelopes; or
a postal ballot box,
the CRO shall proceed as follows.
The CRO shall, on at least one occasion on which a postal voters’ ballot box is opened in accordance with paragraph 19, also open any postal ballot box and the receptacle for ballot paper envelopes and—
retrieve the cancelled ballot paper;
show the ballot paper number on the cancelled ballot paper to the agents;
retrieve the postal voting statement that relates to a cancelled ballot paper from the receptacle for postal voting statements (verification procedure);
attach any cancelled postal ballot paper to the postal voting statement to which it relates;
place the cancelled documents in a separate packet and deal with that packet in the manner provided for by paragraph 13(7); and
unless the postal ballot box has been opened for the purposes of the counting of votes under rule 55 of the Scottish Parliamentary Election Rules, re-seal the postal ballot box in the presence of the agents.