Crisis management powers in relation to adding of counted votes
26.—(1) The Returning Officer may exercise any crisis management powers in paragraph (2) if, at any time before or during the adding of all the counted votes in respect of an election in an electoral division, the Returning Officer is of the opinion that the adding of those votes at the principal counting place for that electoral division is or is likely to be disrupted.
(2) The Returning Officer may —
(a)
temporarily suspend the adding of votes at the principal counting place for a specified period (which must not exceed 2 hours), with or without specifying another location as the principal counting place;
(b)
adjourn and postpone the adding of votes at the principal counting place to a specified date and time, with or without specifying another location as the principal counting place; or
(c)
abandon the adding of votes at the principal counting place and restart the adding of votes on a specified date and time, with or without specifying another location for the restarted adding of votes.