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Article 78
 

(1) After the expiration of the time fixed for voting, the Assistant Commissioners shall seal the opening of the ballot box, shall place in a packet all unused and spoilt ballot papers and all printed or written records kept by them, affixing their seal thereto, after stating and signing on the said packet the number thereof, and shall place in a separate packet all voting documents delivered to them. The official marks used by the Assistant Commissioners including those used by the Assistant Commissioners nominated by the political parties shall be put in a separate packet which shall be sealed with the seal of the Commission after all Assistant Commissioners have affixed their signature thereto.


(2) For the purposes of the previous sub article of this article the Assistant Commissioners shall physically count and reconcile the number of unused and spoilt ballot papers, the number of persons marked as having voted on the list referred to in sub article (1) article 64 and the number of voting documents delivered to them.


(3) After the close of the poll and before the ballot boxes are removed from the polling booths, the Assistant Commissionersshall affix a notice on the door of each polling booth and signed by all the Assistant Commissioners stating the number of voters entitled to vote at that polling booth, the number of ballot papers received by them from the Commission, the number of voting documents delivered to them distinguishing as to whether they are ordinary or special, the number of spoilt ballot papers and the number of unused ballot papers being returned by them to the Commission and the number of persons who have voted in that polling booth. The said notice shall in this article be henceforth referred to as the "ballot paper account".


A copy of the ballot paper account shall be delivered by the Assistant Commissioners to each political party by handing it to any candidate, election or party agent representing such party as may be present, and shall also be delivered to the Commission at the place specified in article 45(c) and the Commission shall immediately thereon provide a copy to the party delegates.


(4) On completion of all the duties mentioned in the preceding sub article of this article, the Assistant Commissioners shall deliver the ballot box or boxes and all documents and packets entrusted to them to the Commission at the place specified in article 45 (c).


(5) Party delegates, candidates, and party agents shall have theright to attend at the reconciliation and sealing of papers and sealing of ballot boxes, mentioned in the preceding sub articles of this article, to affix their own personal seals to the packages containing the papers and to the ballot boxes and shall, subject to the provision of the following sub articles of the article, be granted facilities to watch and accompany the transportation of the ballot boxes from the polling place up to their delivery to the Commission.


(6) (a) No more than one party agent from each political party may be present in each polling booth at any one time during the procedure for the sealing of ballot boxes;


(b) The Assistant Commissioners shall ensure that candidates, party agents or party delegates as may bepresent shall be called in prior to their starting the procedures outlined in the previous sub articles of this article for the sealing of ballot boxes and packets and reconciliation;


(c)  The candidates, party agents and party delegates that may be present shall be granted all reasonable facilities to oversee, record and request recounts of all the operations undertaken by the Assistant Commissioners in terms of the previous sub articles of this article and without prejudice to the generality of the above-


(i) to reconcile the number of persons who have voted as stated in the ballot paper account with the number of persons which the Assistant Commissioners have struck off the list referred to in article 64 and the number of voting documents received by the Assistant Commissioners;


(ii) to reconcile the names of the voters which the Assistant Commissioners have struck off the list referred to in article 64 with the names or the voting documents received by them;


(iii) to record the names, identity card numbers and, or, the particulars of the persons who have not voted;


(b) After all the procedures indicated in the previous sub article of this sub article have been completed, the Assistant Commissioners shall keep the ballot box and all documents and packets in the polling booth until such time as the vehicle designated by the Commission for the transfer of the ballot boxes arrives at thepolling place. Any candidate, or party agent or party delegate as may be present shall also have the right to remain at such polling booth;


(c) During the transportation from the polling place to the place designated by the Commission for the deliveryof ballot boxes in terms of article 45(3) no more than one representative from each of the political parties may board the vehicle designated by the Commission for transportation;


(d) The representatives mentioned in the previous paragraph of this sub article shall be designated by the political parties and shall be duly authorized by the Commission and shall bear identification similar to that required by article 63(1) and shall have these names publicized in terms of article 63(2);


(e) The refusal by any Assistant Commissioner to sign any declaration or document shall not of itself invalidate the contents thereof.