8. —(1) The returning officer at an election or referendum shall, after the content of a ballot paper is finalised, arrange for the printing and procuring of a sufficient quantity of such ballot papers for use on voting machines and to supply, where relevant, as soon as practicable to the local returning officers concerned such number of ballot papers for use on voting machines as those officers reasonably require.

(2) The returning officer or the local returning officer shall arrange to have installed on the voting machines for his or her constituency or local electoral area the ballot paper referred to in subsection (1), shall programme the details of the ballot paper in the cartridges or discs for recording votes to be cast on each such voting machine and have such a cartridge or disc installed in each voting machine.

(3) The returning officer or local returning officer shall ensure that, after installing a ballot paper and a cartridge or disc as aforesaid in the machine, each voting machine is operating satisfactorily.

(4) The returning officer or local returning officer shall cause the compartment of the machine which contains a cartridge or disc to be locked and sealed in such a manner as to prevent the compartment being interfered with without breaking the lock or seal except in accordance with section 11.