Electoral Act, 1998 (Act No. 73 of 1998)Chapter 4 : ElectionsPart 2 : Counting of votes at voting station47. Counting of votes and determination of provisional results |
| (1) | The counting officer must open all the used ballot boxes that were sealed in terms of section 42(1) or (2). |
| (2) | The counting officer must— |
| (a) | cause the ballot papers to be sorted on the basis of the ballot papers for each election if more than one election was held at a voting station on the same day; |
| (b) | cause the ballot papers for each election to be sorted and compare it with the number of ballot papers issued in the prescribed manner; |
| (c) | cause the votes cast in each election to be counted in the prescribed manner; and |
| (d) | determine the result of each count at that voting station. |
| (3) | The counting officer must reject a ballot paper— |
| (a) | that indicates the identity of the voter; |
| (b) | on which a vote is cast for more than one registered party or for more than one candidate; |
| (c) | that is unmarked; |
| (d) | that is marked in such a way that it is not reasonably possible to determine the voter's choice; |
| (e) | that does not bear the mark required in terms of section 38(5)(c); or |
| (f) | that is not an official ballot paper. |
| (4) | The counting officer must mark "rejected" on the back of each rejected ballot paper and file the rejected ballot papers separately. |
| (5) | If a counting officer's acceptance or rejection of a ballot paper is disputed by an agent, the counting officer must— |
| (a) | mark "disputed" on the back of that ballot paper; |
| (b) | file separately, but cause to be counted, the accepted ballot papers that are disputed; and |
| (c) | file separately the rejected ballot papers that are disputed. |