# The Senedd Cymru (Representation of the People) Order 2025, Paragraph 25: Retrieval of cancelled postal ballot papers

Extent: E+W

(1) The returning officer must comply with sub-paragraphs (2) and (3) where it appears to the returning officer that a cancelled postal ballot paper has been placed—
(a) in a postal voters ballot box,
(b) in the receptacle for ballot paper envelopes, or
(c) in a postal ballot box.
(2) The returning officer must, on at least one occasion on which a postal voters ballot box is opened in accordance with paragraph 20, also open any postal ballot box and the receptacle for ballot paper envelopes and—
(a) retrieve the cancelled ballot paper,
(b) show the ballot paper number on the cancelled ballot paper to any agents present,
(c) retrieve the postal voting statement that relates to a cancelled ballot paper from the receptacle for postal voting statements (verification procedure),
(d) attach any cancelled postal ballot paper to the postal voting statement to which it relates,
(e) place the cancelled documents in a separate packet and deal with that packet in the manner provided for by paragraph 14(8) or 16, and
(f) unless the postal ballot box has been opened for the purposes of counting the votes under rule 58 of Schedule 5 (the count: steps), reseal the postal ballot box in the presence of the agents.
(3) Whilst retrieving cancelled ballot papers in accordance with sub-paragraph (2), the returning officer and the returning officer’s staff—
(a) must keep the ballot papers face downwards and must take all proper precautions for preventing any person seeing the votes made on the ballot papers, and
(b) must not be permitted to view the corresponding number list used at the issue of postal ballot papers.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/wsi/2025/864/schedule/2/paragraph/25 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/senedd-cymru-representation-of-the-people-order-2025/schedule-2/paragraph-25
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.