{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/parliamentary-voting-system-and-constituencies-act-2011/schedule-5/paragraph-40",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/parliamentary-voting-system-and-constituencies-act-2011/schedule-5/paragraph-40.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/2011/1",
  "legislation_title": "Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act 2011",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/parliamentary-voting-system-and-constituencies-act-2011",
  "path": "schedule/5/paragraph/40",
  "kind": "paragraph",
  "number": "40",
  "heading": null,
  "text": "(1) The returning officer for a relevant election must make arrangements for counting the votes in the presence of the counting agents for the relevant election as soon as practicable after receiving the ballot papers from the counting officer under paragraph 43.\n(2) The returning officer must give the counting agents for the relevant election notice in writing of the time and place at which the counting of the votes for the relevant election will begin.\n(3) A person may be present at the counting of the votes for a relevant election only if—\n(a) the person is permitted by the returning officer to attend, or\n(b) the person would be entitled to be present at the counting of votes for the relevant election if it were taken on its own.\n(4) The returning officer may give a person permission under sub-paragraph (3)(a) only if—\n(a) the officer is satisfied that the person's attendance will not impede the efficient counting of the votes, and\n(b) the officer has consulted the election agents or thought it impracticable to do so.\n(5) The returning officer must give the counting agents for the relevant election—\n(a) whatever reasonable facilities for overseeing the proceedings, and\n(b) whatever information with respect to the proceedings,\nthe officer can give them consistently with the orderly conduct of the proceedings and the discharge of the officer's duties.\n(6) In particular, where the votes are counted by sorting the ballot papers into lots according to the votes marked on them and then counting the number of ballot papers in each lot, the counting agents for the relevant election are entitled to satisfy themselves that the ballot papers are correctly sorted.",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2011/1/schedule/5/paragraph/40",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T09:09:42.827630+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}