Northern Territory Consolidated Regulations Northern Territory Consolidated Regulations(1) Postal votes are to be sorted in accordance with this regulation.
(2) The sorting of postal votes:
(a) may be carried out at any time that the Divisional Returning Officer considers practicable after 6.00 p.m. on the Friday next following polling day; and
(b) is to be carried out in the presence of those scrutineers that choose to attend and any other persons approved by the Divisional Returning Officer.
(3) The Divisional Returning Officer must produce unopened all envelopes containing postal ballot-papers received by the Divisional Returning Officer not later than 6.00 p.m. on the Friday next following polling day.
(4) The Divisional Returning Officer must:
(a) allow the scrutineers to inspect postal vote certificates marked with the word "rejected";
(b) exclude the postal ballot-papers contained in those unopened postal vote certificates from the determination of the results of the poll; and
(c) place those postal vote certificates, unopened, in a parcel.
(5) The Divisional Returning Officer must:
(a) withdraw from the envelopes admitted to the determination of the results of the poll, the postal ballot-paper and, without inspecting or unfolding it or allowing any other person to do so, immediately deposit the folded postal ballot-paper in a locked or sealed ballot-box; and
(b) place the envelope from which the postal ballot-paper was withdrawn in a parcel together with all other envelopes from which postal ballot-papers were withdrawn in accordance with paragraph (a).
(6) The Divisional Returning Officer must seal up the parcels referred to in subregulations (4) and (5) and endorse on each parcel a statement of its contents.