32. (1) The local returning officer shall give each candidate at a European election at least twenty-four hours notice in writing of the time and place at which, if the election is contested, the officer will issue ballot papers to postal voters and of the number of persons each candidate may appoint to attend such issue and, where any subsequent issue of ballot papers is made, the local returning officer shall give each candidate, as soon as practicable, notice of the time and place at which the said officer will make such subsequent issue and of the number of persons each candidate may appoint to attend such issue.

(2) Each ballot paper issued shall be marked with the official mark which shall be embossed or perforated so as to be visible on both sides of the paper and the number (including polling district letter) and name of the elector as stated in the postal voters list shall be called out, and a mark shall be placed in a copy of the postal voters list opposite the number of the elector to denote that a ballot paper has been issued to the elector, but without showing the number of the ballot paper so issued.

(3) The local returning officer shall place in an envelope addressed to the postal voter—

(a) the ballot paper,

(b) the form of receipt,

(c) an envelope (in this Schedule referred to as a “covering envelope”) addressed to the local returning officer, and

(d) a smaller envelope, marked “ballot paper envelope”,

and shall effectually seal the first-mentioned envelope.

(4) All envelopes addressed to the postal voters shall be counted and forthwith delivered by the local returning officer to the nearest head post office or such other post office as may be arranged with the head postmaster; and the postmaster shall stamp with the date stamp of An Post a receipt, to be presented to the postmaster by the local returning officer, stating the number of envelopes so delivered and shall immediately forward such envelopes for delivery to the persons to whom they are addressed.

(5) Where an envelope containing a ballot paper and other documents referred to in this rule is, before polling day, returned to the local returning officer as not having been delivered to a postal voter, the local returning officer may re-address the envelope and send it by post to that voter.