Clause 20

Each voter entitled to vote shall be given one ballot paper and shall have one vote.

The ballot paper shall be delivered to the voter by the presiding officer or a person acting under his authority. Immediately before the ballot paper is delivered to the voter, the paper shall be stamped on the back or perforated with the official mark or initialled by the presiding officer; and the number, name and description of the voter, as stated in the copy of the register of electors, shall be called out, and the number of such elector shall be marked on the counterfoil, and a mark shall be placed in the register of electors against the number of the elector to denote that he has received a ballot paper but without showing the particulars of the ballot paper which he has received.

The voter, on receiving the ballot paper shall forthwith proceed to such place in the station as may be indicated by the presiding officer or by any person acting under such officer’s authority, and shall there secretly mark such paper as near as may be in accordance with the directions given for the guidance of voters under this Ordinance. The voter shall then fold the paper so as to conceal his vote, and shall put such paper so folded up into the ballot box. He shall vote without undue delay and shall leave the polling station as soon as he has put his ballot paper into the ballot box.

The presiding officer or any person authorized by him may ask any voter if such voter understands the method of voting in accordance with the provisions of this Ordinance and may, if he thinks fit, on the application of any voter, explain to the voter in the presence of any polling agents, if present, the method of voting in accordance with the provisions of this Ordinance; but in so doing he shall carefully abstain from any action which might be construed by the voter as advice or a direction to vote in any particular manner.

The presiding officer, on the application of a voter who is incapacitated by blindness or other physical cause from voting in the manner prescribed by this Ordinance, shall mark the ballot paper of such voter in the manner directed by the voter, and shall cause such ballot paper to be placed in the ballot box.

The presiding officer may at any time while voting is proceeding take such steps as may be necessary to ensure that no voter delays unduly in any place reserved for the marking of ballot papers.