Electoral Act 2004

(1) As soon as practicable after the close of voting for an election, the officer in charge of a scrutiny centre must:

(a) open the ballot boxes under the officer's control; and

(b) set aside all informal ballot papers, count them and place them in a parcel; and

(c) arrange all formal ballot papers under the names of each candidate for whom the first preference vote on the ballot papers was cast; and

(d) count the first preference votes given for each candidate on formal ballot papers; and

(e) make and sign a statement stating the number of:

(i) votes cast as first preference votes for each candidate; and

(ii) informal votes; and

(f) place all formal ballot papers mentioned in paragraph (c) in separate parcels according to the candidate for whom the first preference vote was cast; and

(g) seal the parcels mentioned in paragraphs (b) and (f) and endorse on each parcel a statement of its contents; and

(h) send all the parcels and the statement to the Commission or the authorised officer directed by the Commission.

(2) A candidate's scrutineer may sign any of the following:

(a) the statement mentioned in subsection (1)(e);

(b) a sealed parcel mentioned in subsection (1)(g).