(1)The Commission shall preserve until the publication of the official result of the next following election all used ballot papers for each electoral division in separate sealed packets, as follows Where an Electronic Counting System is used:

All ballot papers contained in each ballot box sorted in unique identifier order in all other cases:

(a) the spoilt ballot papers;

(b) the invalid ballot papers;

(c) the papers at the completion of the counting in the parcel of each elected candidate and of each nonelected candidate whose papers have not been transferred;

(d) all the non-transferable papers not retained in the parcel of an elected candidate.

(2) The Commissioners shall endorse on each packet a description of its contents, the date of the election and the number of the electoral division to which they relate.

(3) The Commission shall further preserve for the same period for each electoral division a copy of the declaration of the result of the count and of any document showing the operations of the transfer of each surplus:

Provided that where the Commission decides to use an Electronic Counting System, the Commission shall preserve all data introduced to or used by the Electronic Counting System including but not limited to data processed or produced by the Electronic Counting System for all intermediate steps prior to the final results. The data is to be preserved in digital format on suitable media and in at least two separate copies identical to the original, as decided by the Commission, for the long term storage of the same data which media shall be kept in separate sealed packets and in separate locations established by the Commission. The said copies shall be preserved until the publication of the result of the next following election and shall be erased thereafter.

(4) Party delegates, candidates and counting agents shall have the right to affix their seals and signatures to such packets.