Electoral Act, 1998 (Act No. 73 of 1998)RegulationsElection Regulations, 2004Chapter 6 : Counting of VotesPart 2 : Counting of votes at place other than voting station28. Verification: Irregularities and discrepancies |
| (1) | The counting officer must deal with irregularities and discrepancies found when complying with section 52(3) of the Act in the following manner: |
| (a) | The counting officer must immediately call for an explanation by the presiding officer who delivered the material to him or her. |
| (b) | The counting officer must together with the presiding officer attempt to resolve the irregularities and discrepancies. |
| (c) | The agents present in the counting station must immediately be informed about the irregularities and discrepancies, must as far as possible be present at all discussions between the counting officer and the presiding officer and must be invited to contribute to the discussion and the search for solutions. |
| (d) | If any of the material appears to have been unlawfully tampered with or are missing, the counting officer must call in the assistance of a member of the security forces to investigate the matter and to assist in the search for missing material. |
| (2) | The written record to be kept by the counting officer in terms of section 52(5) of the Act in respect of irregularities and discrepancies and the manner in which they were dealt with, must be in the form of a full report to the chief electoral officer on the nature of each irregularity and discrepancy, the manner in which they were dealt with and the explanations offered by the presiding officer and any of the agents. |
| (3) | The report must be transmitted to the chief electoral officer as soon as possible. |