Referendums Act 1997

The commission must make procedures about how, subject to this division, absentee votes at a referendum are to be counted.

The procedures must provide for—

the circumstances in which absentee votes are counted at a polling booth under section 38; and

ensuring absentee votes are counted at polling places in a way that does not compromise the secrecy of voting; and

the secure delivery of sealed ballot boxes, and sealed parcels of ballot papers and declaration envelopes, containing absentee votes to the returning officer for the appropriate electoral district or the commission; and

the arrangements for scrutineers to be present when absentee votes are counted and their roles and responsibilities.

The procedures—

do not take effect until approved by a regulation; and

must be tabled in the Legislative Assembly with the regulation approving the procedures; and

must be published on the commission’s website.

In this section—absentee vote means an ordinary vote made by an elector at a polling booth that is not located in the elector’s electoral district.