Section 46 in The Goa Panchayat and Zilla Panchayat (Election Procedure) Rules, 1996
46. Voting by Officer on duty at polling station.
(1)A Presiding Officer or Polling Officer or a public servant who is on election duty at a polling station at which he/she is not entitled to vote at the election in connection with which he/she is employed shall send an application in Form No. 18 to the Returning Officer so as to reach him at least 4 days or such shorter period as the Returning Officer may allow before the date of poll, and if the Returning Officer is satisfied that the applicant is a voter on election duty, he shall issue a "Postal Ballot" paper to him.(2)A postal Ballot paper shall be the same as that of the ordinary Ballot paper in Form No. 6.(3)(i)A postal Ballot paper shall be sent by post under certificate of posting to the voter together with(a)a declaration in Form No.19;(b)a cover in Form No. 20;(c)a large cover addressed to the Returning Officer in Form No. 21;(d)instructions for the guidance of the elector in Form No. 22:Provided that the Returning Officer may, in any case of a voter on election-duty, deliver the Ballot paper and forms or cause them to be delivered to such voter personally.(ii)The Returning Officer shall at the same time record the serial number of each Ballot paper against the entry relating to that voter in the marked copy of the voters list.(iii)The Returning Officer shall ensure that the voter is not allowed to vote at any Polling Station.(4)Every Officer under whose care or through whom a postal Ballot paper is sent shall ensure its delivery to the addressees without delay.(5)After the Ballot papers have been issued to all voters entitled to vote by post, the Returning Officer, shall, at an election to the Village Panchayat or Zilla Panchayat or the case may be, seal up in a packet that part of the marked copy of the voters list and record on the packet a brief description of its contents and the date on which it was sealed and send to the Presiding Officers for recording the serial numbers of the Ballot papers issued to voters at the polling station.(6)Any voter who has received a postal Ballot paper and desires to vote shall record his vote on the Ballot paper in accordance with the direction contained in Form No. 22 and then enclosed it in cover in Form No. 20.(7)The voter shall sign the declaration in Form No. 19 in the presence of, and have signature attested by a Magistrate of such other Gazetted Officer or the Presiding Officer of the Polling Station at which he is on election duty as may be appropriate, to whom he is personally known and to whose satisfaction he has been identified.(8)(i)When a postal Ballot paper and any other papers sent under sub-rule (3), are for any reasons returned undelivered the Returning Officer may reissue them by post under certificate of posting or deliver them or cause them to be delivered to the voter personally on a request being made by him.(ii)If any voter has inadvertently dealt with the Ballot paper or any of the other papers sent to him under sub-rule (3) in such manner that cannot conveniently be used, a second set of paper shall be issued to him after he has returned the spoilt papers and satisfied the Returning Officer of the inadvertence.(iii)The Returning Officer shall cancel the spoilt papers so returned and keep them in a separate packet after noting thereon the particulars of the Panchayat or Zilla Panchayat Election and the serial numbers of the cancelled Ballot papers.(9)(i)After the voter has recorded his vote and made his declaration under sub-rule (7), shall return the Ballot paper and declaration to the Returning Officer in accordance with the instructions communicated to him in Form No. 22 so as to reach the Returning Officer before the close of the poll of the Panchayat or Zilla Panchayat.(ii)If any cover containing the postal Ballot paper is received by the Returning Officer after the expiry of the time fixed under sub-rule (9) (i), he shall note thereon the date and time of its receipt and shall keep all such covers together in a separate packet.(iii)The Returning Officer shall keep in safe custody untill the commencement of the counting of votes all covers containing postal Ballot papers received by him.
