Section 99, The Public Elections Act, 2022

(1) The Returning Officer at a polling station shall, attheconclusion of the time appointed for voting under subsection (1) of section 72- (a) close the polling station and cease to receive any votes and shall as soon as is practicable thereafter proceed to open each ballot box, take out the ballot papers and count them; (b) subject to sections 84 and 85, record the number of valid ballot papers, but the ballot cast for each candidate shall be kept separate from the ballots of any other