Local Government (General) Regulation 2021

if a council resolves to take a constitutional referendum, de-amalgamation referendum or council poll, the general manager is to notify the Electoral Commissioner of the resolution within 21 days after the council makes the resolution (if the Electoral Commissioner is to administer the referendum or poll),

if a constitutional referendum, de-amalgamation referendum or council poll is to be held in conjunction with an election of councillors, the general manager must (if he or she has not already done so) notify the Electoral Commissioner of the question to be asked at the referendum or poll no later than 12 noon on the closing date for the election (if the Electoral Commissioner is to administer the referendum or poll and the election),

the election manager is to publish a notice setting out the date of the referendum or poll, the question to be asked at the referendum or poll and the locations and times of polling for the referendum or poll—

on the website of the council, and

in any other manner that the election manager considers necessary to bring it to the attention of members of the public in the area in which a referendum is to be taken, or the area or part of the area in which a poll is to be taken,

the election manager is to publish the notice—

except as provided by subparagraph (ii)—as soon as practicable after being notified of the date of the referendum or poll, or

in the case of a referendum or poll to be held in conjunction with an election of councillors—at the same time as the election manager publishes a notice under section 300 of this Regulation in relation to the election,

the poll-paper at a constitutional referendum, de-amalgamation referendum or council poll is to be in Form 16 in Schedule 11,

a poll-paper at a constitutional referendum, de-amalgamation referendum or council poll is informal if—

neither the square beside the word “Yes” nor the square beside the word “No” is ticked, or

the poll-paper is not initialled on the front by the returning officer or an election official, or

the poll-paper contains a mark or writing that, in the returning officer’s opinion, would enable the voter to be identified,

in spite of paragraph (d) a poll-paper is not informal if—

neither the square beside the word “Yes” nor the square beside the word “No” is ticked, or

the poll-paper contains an unnecessary mark,

in spite of paragraph (d) a poll-paper is not informal because it is not initialled on the front by the returning officer or an election official if it contains the mark referred to in section 305(2) of this Regulation,

a poll-paper that is informal is to be rejected at the scrutiny.