Section 46
Display of ballot boxes(1) At the hour fixed for opening of the poll before the commencement of accreditation and voting, the Presiding officer shall open the empty ballot box or present the voting device and show same to such persons as may lawfully be present at the polling unit and shall then close and seal the box in such manner as to prevent its being opened by any unauthorised person.
(2) The ballot box shall then be placed in full view of all present and be so maintained until the close of poll.
This outlines the procedure to be followed by a Presiding Officer before commencement of voting.
The 2022 Act made a consequential amendment to this provision to align with new provisions on accreditation and potential use of electronic voting device. It says that before voting and accreditation, the Presiding Officer must open the empty ballot box or present the voting deviceto persons lawfully present at the polling unit and then seal the box to prevent them from being opened by an unauthorized person.
