Section 19: Taking of ballots

19. Taking of ballots (1) Where a trade union proposes to take a ballot for any of the purposes specified in this Act, other than section 78, or in its rules, it shall, not later than 21 days before the date of the ballot, cause a notice to be published in 2 daily newspapers. (2) Any person appointed as scrutineer of a ballot by a trade union shall, after the counting of the votes— (a) secure the ballot papers which have been counted and those which have been rejected, in separate sealed parcels; (b) certify the result in the approved form to the Registrar within 7 days of the counting; and (c) return the sealed ballot papers to the trade union. (3) A trade union shall keep ballot papers returned to it under subsection (2) for a period of at least 6 months from the date of the ballot.