23.—(1) The presiding officer must exclude all persons from the polling station except—
(a)voters and proxies;
(b)persons under the age of 18 who accompany voters and proxies to the polling station;
(c)the polling observers appointed to attend at the polling station;
(d)the clerks appointed to attend at the polling station;
(e)persons who are entitled to attend by virtue of any of sections 6A to 6D of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 M1;
(f)the constables on duty;
(g)the companions of voters and proxies with disabilities; and
(h)persons entitled to be admitted to the polling station at a relevant election or referendum with which the poll at the referendum is combined.
(2) The presiding officer must regulate the total number of voters and proxies and persons under the age of 18 who accompany them to be admitted to the polling station at the same time.
(3) A constable or person employed by any returning or counting officer at any relevant election or referendum must not be admitted to vote in person elsewhere than at his or her own polling station allotted to him or her under these Rules, except on production and surrender of a certificate as to his or her employment which must be in the form in the Appendix, or a form to the like effect, and signed by an officer of police of or above the rank of inspector or by the returning or counting officer by whom the person is employed, as the case may be.
(4) Any certificate surrendered under this rule must forthwith be cancelled.
[F1(5) In this rule, a reference to a constable includes a person designated as a community support officer under section 38 of the Police Reform Act 2002 (police powers for employees).]
Textual Amendments
F1Sch. 5 rule 23(5) inserted (6.4.2014) by The Local Authorities (Conduct of Referendums) (Council Tax Increases) (England) (Amendment No.2) Regulations 2014 (S.I. 2014/925), regs. 1(3), 14 (with reg. 1(4))
Marginal Citations
M1Sections 6A to 6F of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (c.41) were inserted by section 29 of the Electoral Administration Act 2006 (c. 22).