45. (1) At a European election, a special presiding officer shall, in the presence of a member of the deliver to the special voter the form of declaration of identity referred to in rule 44.

(2) No person other than the special presiding officer and the member of the Garda Síochána shall be present when the special voter is voting pursuant to this rule.

(3) The special voter shall complete the declaration of identity and shall sign it or, if the voter is unable to write, place his or her mark thereon and the said signature, or as the case may be mark, shall be witnessed by the special presiding officer.

(4) The special presiding officer shall, on being satisfied as to the identity of the special voter, mark a ballot paper with the official mark and deliver it to the special voter together with a ballot paper envelope.

(5) The special presiding officer shall, as soon as he or she has given the ballot paper and the ballot paper envelope to the special voter, place a mark against the name of the special voter concerned on a copy of the special voters list to denote that a ballot paper has been issued to such voter but without showing the number of the ballot paper so issued.

(6) The special voter shall thereupon record in secret his or her vote upon the ballot paper and shall then fold the ballot paper so that the vote is concealed and place the ballot paper, so folded, in the ballot paper envelope and seal the envelope and hand the ballot paper envelope to the special presiding officer.

(7) On receiving the ballot paper envelope, the special presiding officer shall place it together with the completed declaration of identity in a covering envelope which the special presiding officer shall thereupon seal and to which the special presiding officer shall affix a label in the form directed by the Minister signed by the officer and the member of the Garda Síochána.