(1) The Returning Officer shall attend for the purpose the scrutiny and counting of votes on the date and at the time and place appointed by him in his behalf for purposes of counting.
(2). Any candidate may be present either in person or by his accredited representative at the counting of the votes.
(3) The Returning Officer shall nominate as scrutinizers such number of members of the staff of the Officer of the Board as he thinks fit to assist him in the counting of votes.
(4) The Returning Officer shall open the outer envelopers immediately after the hours fixed for the counting on the day fixed for the poll in the presence of any candidate or any other person representing the candidate and the ballot papers may be shown to the candidate or their representatives present at the time of scrutiny if a request is made on their behalf-
(5) A ballot paper cover shall be rejected by the Returning Officer, ifa) the outer envelope contains no declaration paper outside the ballot paper cover; or b) the declaration paper is not the one sent by the Returning Officer;
or c) A declaration is not signed by the elector; or d) More than one declaration paper or ballot paper cover have been enclosed in one and the same outer envelope;
or e) Number of outer envelopes containing the declaration paper and the ballot paper cover are enclosed in a big cover.
(6) In case of rejection, the word “rejected” shall be endorsed on the ballot paper cover and the declaration paper and initialed by the Returning Officer.
(7) All the ballot paper covers other than those rejected under subrule (5) shall be opened and the ballot papers shall then be scrutinized and valid ones counted. A ballot paper shall be invalid, ifa) it does not bear the Returning Officers initials of facsimile signature; or b) a Voter signs his name, or writes a word or makes any mark on it by which it is recognizable at his ballot paper; or c) no voting is recorded thereon; or d) the number of Voters recorded thereon is not equal to the number of Votes which the Voter is entitled to give; or e) the voter has given more than one Vote to any one candidate; or f) it is void for uncertainty on account of one or more votes being exercised;
Provided that where more than one Votes can be given one the same ballot paper, if one of the marks is so placed as render, is doubtful to which candidate it is intended to apply, the vote concerned but not the whole ballot paper shall be invalid on the account.
(8) if any objection is made to any ballot paper on the ground that it does not comply with the specified requirements, or to any objection by the Returning Officer of a ballot paper it shall be decided at once by the Returning Officer whose decision shall be final.
(9) When the counting of votes has been completed, the Returning Officer shall forthwith declare the candidate or candidates, as the case may be to whom the largest number of votes has been given, to have been elected and shall forthwith inform the successful candidate by letter of his having been elected to the Board.
(10) When an equality of votes is found to exist between any two or more candidates and the addition of a vote will entitled any one or more of the candidates to be declared elected, the determination of the candidate or candidates to whom such additional vote shall be deemed to have been given shall be made by lot to be drawn by the Returning Officer in such a manner as he shall determine.
(11). The Returning Officer shall then prepare and certify a return of the election in Form VII.