[Code of Federal Regulations] [Title 7, Volume 7, Parts 700 to 899] [Revised as of January 1, 2001] From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access [CITE: 7CFR717.20] [Page 75] TITLE 7--AGRICULTURE CHAPTER VII--FARM SERVICE AGENCY, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE PART 717--HOLDING OF REFERENDA--Table of Contents Sec. 717.20 Receiving and tabulating voted ballots. Ballots received at the county FSA office during the referendum period shall be placed immediately in a ballot box provided by the county executive director and so arranged that ballots cannot be read or removed without breaking the seal on the container. Voted ballots received by the county committee of the county in which the voter is eligible to vote during the period established for holding a particular referendum, shall be tabulated by the county committee. A ballot shall be considered to have been received during the referendum period if (a) in the case of a ballot delivered to the county committee, it was received in the office prior to the close of the work day on the final day of the referendum period, or (b) in the case of a mailed ballot, it was postmarked not later than midnight of the final day of the referendum period and was received in the county office prior to the start of canvassing the ballots. However, no such ballot shall be counted unless the voter signs the certification or his mark is witnessed on the returned envelope, and it is determined that he is eligible to vote in the particular referendum. (Secs. 312, 317, 336, 343, 344, 354, 358, 375, 52 Stat. 46, as amended, 79 Stat. 66, 52 Stat. 55, as amended, 56, as amended, 79 Stat. 1197, 52 Stat. 61, as amended, 55 Stat. 88, as amended, 52 Stat. 66, as amended; 7 U.S.C. 1312, 1314c, 1336, 1343, 1344b, 1354, 1356, 1375) [33 FR 18345, Dec. 11, 1968, as amended by Amdt. 4, 49 FR 24371, June 13, 1984] [[Page 76]]