Seanad Electoral (Panel Members) Act, 1947
|
THIRD SCHEDULE. Rules for Conduct of Seanad Bye-election for Oireachtas Sub-panel Casual Vacancy. | ||
Issue of ballot papers. | ||
1. On the day appointed for the issue of ballot papers the Seanad returning officer shall issue, in the manner directed in the following Rules a ballot paper to every elector named on the electoral roll for the election. | ||
Attendance of candidates. | ||
2. Every candidate shall be entitled to attend at the issue of ballot papers for the election, and the Seanad returning officer shall, on the request of any such candidate, inform him of the time and place at which the issue will be made. | ||
Persons present at issue of ballot papers. | ||
3. The Seanad returning returning officer and his assistants, any candidate and any agent appointed by a candidate, and no other person, except with the permission of the Seanad returning officer, may be present at the issue of ballot papers. | ||
Method of issuing ballot papers. | ||
4. The Seanad returning officer shall issue a ballot paper to each elector by doing or causing to be done in respect of such elector the following things in the following order, that is to say: | ||
(a) the number, name, address, and description of the elector as stated in the electoral roll shall be called out; | ||
(b) the elector's said number shall be marked on the counterfoil of the ballot paper to be sent to him; | ||
(c) a mark shall be placed on the electoral roll opposite the elector's name thereon to indicate that a ballot paper has been issued to such elector, but without disclosing the identity of such ballot paper; | ||
(d) the ballot paper shall be marked on both sides with the official mark; | ||
(e) the number on the back of the ballot paper shall be marked upon a form of declaration of identity and upon an envelope (hereinafter referred to as the ballot paper envelope) in the prescribed form; | ||
(f) there shall be placed in an envelope (hereinafter referred to as the outer envelope) in the prescribed form addressed to the elector at his address stated in the electoral roll the following documents, that is to say:— | ||
(i) a ballot paper, and | ||
(ii) the said form of declaration of identity, and | ||
(iii) an envelope (hereinafter referred to as the covering envelope) in the prescribed form addressed to the Seanad returning officer, and | ||
(iv) the said ballot paper envelope; | ||
(g) the outer envelope shall be effectually closed; | ||
(h) when the foregoing provisions of this Rule have been complied with in respect of all the electors whose names are on the electoral roll, all the said closed outer envelopes shall be collected, counted, and posted. | ||
Issue of duplicate ballot papers. | ||
5. Every request for the issue of a duplicate ballot paper shall, when received by the Seanad returning officer, be endorsed by him with the day and hour of the receipt thereof by him and with a consecutive number, and every duplicate ballot paper issued in pursuance of any such request shall be issued in accordance with the provisions of the foregoing Rule so far as the same are applicable save that, in lieu of the number on the electoral roll, there shall be marked on the counterfoil of such ballot paper the consecutive number endorsed on the request in pursuance of which such ballot paper is issued and that when such ballot paper has been issued the said request shall be disposed of in like manner as the marked copy of the electoral roll is required by these Rules to be disposed of. | ||
Posting of ballot papers. | ||
6. The Seanad returning officer shall post the said closed outer envelopes by delivering them to the nearest head post office, or such other office as may be arranged with the head post-master, and the post-master at such office shall stamp with the post office date stamp a form of receipt to be presented by the Seanad returning officer stating the number of envelopes so delivered, and shall immediately forward such envelopes by registered post for delivery to the persons to whom they are addressed. | ||
Preservation of electoral roll and counterfoils. | ||
7. The Seanad returning officer, as soon as practicable after the completion of the issue of the ballot papers and in the presence of such candidates and agents as are in attendance, shall make up in separate packets, sealed with his own seal and sealed by such of the said candidates or agents as desire to affix their seals, the marked copy of the electoral roll and the counterfoils of the ballot papers. | ||
Seanad ballot box. | ||
8. The Seanad returning officer shall provide a ballot box marked “Seanad ballot box” for the reception of the covering envelopes when returned by the voters, and on the completion of the issue of the ballot papers the Seanad returning officer shall show such ballot box open and empty to the candidates and agents (if any) present, and shall seal such ballot box with his seal and shall make provision for the safe custody of such ballot box. | ||
Disposal of covering envelopes on receipt. | ||
9. The Seanad returning officer shall forthwith place unopened in the Seanad ballot box every covering envelope received by him before the close of the poll and shall seal up unopened in a separate package all covering envelopes received by him after the close of the poll and shall also seal up unopened in a separate package all outer envelopes returned to him as undelivered. | ||
Notice of counting of votes. | ||
10. Not less than three days before the close of the poll, the Seanad returning officer shall send by post to every candidate at his address as stated in the list of candidates notice in writing of the time and place at which he will open the Seanad ballot box and count the votes. | ||
Opening of Seanad ballot box. | ||
11. As soon as conveniently may be after the close of the poll, the Seanad returning officer shall open the Seanad ballot box and count the votes. | ||
Persons present at counting of votes. | ||
12. The Seanad returning officer and his assistants, any candidate and any agent appointed by a candidate, and no other person, except with the permission of the Seanad returning officer, may be present at the opening of the Seanad ballot box or the counting of the votes. | ||
Procedure on opening of Seanad ballot box. | ||
13. When the Seanad ballot box has been opened the Seanad returning officer shall do the following things; | ||
(a) take all the covering envelopes out of the Seanad ballot box and count and note the number thereof; | ||
(b) open each such covering envelope and segregate any of those envelopes containing a declaration of identity issued as a duplicate form of declaration of identity; | ||
(c) take up separately each of the said covering envelopes not so segregated, examine the declaration of identity therein and compare the number on such declaration with the number on the ballot paper envelope in such covering envelope; | ||
(d) if the said numbers agree and the declaration of identity is found to be duly completed and made, he shall place the declaration of identity and the ballot paper envelope in separate receptacles; | ||
(e) if he is not satisfied that the declaration of identity has been duly completed and made, he shall endorse the declaration of identity “vote rejected,” and shall attach thereto the ballot paper envelope, without opening such envelope, or if there is not such envelope, the ballot paper; | ||
(f) if he finds that the numbers on the declaration of identity and on the ballot paper envelope do not agree, or if the envelope has no number on it, he shall open the envelope, and if the number on the ballot paper agrees with the number on the declaration of identity, he shall place the ballot paper in the special receptacle provided by him for ballot papers; | ||
(g) where the number on the ballot paper does not agree with the number on the declaration of identity, he shall replace the ballot paper in its envelope, if any, attach such envelope or ballot paper (as the case may be) to the declaration of identity, and endorse the the declaration of identity “vote rejected”; | ||
(h) where a declaration of identity does not appear to accompany the ballot paper envelope, he shall open the ballot paper envelope, and if it is found to contain the declaration of identity, he shall deal with such declaration and ballot paper envelope in accordance with the foregoing provisions of this Rule; | ||
(i) he shall mark with the word “rejected” every declaration of identity which is not accompanied by a ballot paper, and every ballot paper which is not accompanied by a declaration of identity; | ||
(j) when all the said covering envelopes not so segregated have been dealt with under the foregoing provisions of this Rule, he shall take up separately each of the said covering envelopes segregated as containing a declaration of identity issued as a duplicate form of declaration of identity, examine the declaration of identity therein (hereinafter referred to as the duplicate declaration) and ascertain whether a declaration of identity in respect of the same person has or has not been previously examined under this Rule: | ||
(k) if a declaration of identity in respect of the same person has been previously examined under this Rule, he shall mark the duplicate declaration “vote rejected” and shall attach thereto the ballot paper envelope, without opening such envelope, or, if there is no such envelope, the ballot paper; | ||
(l) if a declaration of identity in respect of the same person has not been previously examined under this Rule, he shall deal with the duplicate declaration and the ballot paper envelope and ballot paper accompanying the same in accordance with the foregoing provisions of this Rule other than the two last preceding paragraphs thereof. | ||
Ballot paper and declaration not in proper envelopes. | ||
14. Where a ballot paper and a declaration of identity are received together and the numbers on such ballot paper and on such declaration agree, such ballot paper shall not be rejected solely on the ground that such ballot paper and such declaration were not placed in the proper envelopes or that any of such envelopes were not fastened. | ||
Rejection of declarations of identity. | ||
15. The Seanad returning officer shall show any declaration of identity which he proposes to reject on the ground that it has not been properly completed and made to the candidates and agents (if any) present, and if an objection is made by any such candidate or agent to his decision shall add to the endorsement the words “rejection objected to”. | ||
Separation of rejected declarations. | ||
16. The Seanad returning officer shall keep all rejected declarations, with the attached envelopes or ballot papers as the case may be, separate from other documents. | ||
Opening of ballot paper envelopes. | ||
17. When all the covering envelopes in the Seanad ballot box have been opened and their contents dealt with under the preceding Rules, the Seanad returning officer shall open each unopened ballot paper envelope and compare the number on the envelope with the number on the ballot paper, and if the number on the envelope and the number on the ballot paper agree, he shall place the ballot paper in the special receptacle provided by him for ballot papers, but if the number on the envelope and the number on the ballot paper do not agree, the Seanad returning officer shall fasten such ballot paper and such envelope together and mark them “rejected”. | ||
Preservation of declarations, ballot papers, etc. | ||
18. As soon as the Seanad returning officer has completed the placing of the ballot papers in the said special receptacle, he shall seal up in separate packets (1) the declarations of identity which accompanied any ballot papers duly accepted; (2) any rejected declarations of identity; and (3) any rejected ballot papers; in the two latter cases with the envelopes (if any) attached thereto. | ||
Counting the ballot papers. | ||
19. When the Seanad returning officer has complied with the foregoing Rules of this Schedule, he shall mix together thoroughly the ballot papers contained in the special receptacle provided by him for ballot papers and shall count, in accordance with the Rules contained in the Second Schedule to this Act, the votes recorded on such ballot papers. | ||
Rejection of invalid ballot papers. | ||
20. The Seanad returning officer shall endorse “rejected” on any ballot paper which he rejects as invalid and if an objection be made by any candidate or agent to his decision rejecting the ballot paper, he shall add to the said endorsement “rejection objected to”. | ||
Continuity of proceedings. | ||
21. The Seanad returning officer shall, so far as practicable, proceed continuously with the proceedings, under these Rules subsequent to the opening of the Seanad ballot box and with the counting of the votes but may at any time suspend such proceedings or counting for refreshment, night-time, or other reason appearing to him to be sufficient for such period as he thinks proper, and whenever he does so suspend such proceedings or such counting, he shall take all proper precautions for the security of the ballot papers, envelopes, votes, and other documents relating to the election. | ||
Declaration of secrecy. | ||
22. The Seanad returning officer and each of his assistants taking part in any of the proceedings under these Rules or the counting of the votes and every candidate and agent attending any of the said proceedings or the said counting shall, before so taking part or so attending, sign an undertaking in the prescribed form to preserve the secrecy of the voting. | ||
Certificate of result of the poll. | ||
23. As soon as the counting of the votes is completed, the Seanad returning officer shall prepare in duplicate a certificate in the prescribed form setting out the name of the candidate elected, the total number of votes given for each candidate (whether elected or not), every transfer of values made under this Act, and the total value credited to each candidate at the end of the count at which each such transfer took place, and such other matters as may be prescribed, and the Seanad returning officer shall then sign the said duplicate certificate and shall send one such duplicate to the Clerk of Dáil Eireann and shall retain the other. | ||
Publication of result of election | ||
24. The Seanad returning officer shall also prepare and publish in the Iris Oifigiúil a statement in the prescribed form of the name of the candidate elected. | ||
Preservation of ballot papers. | ||
25. Upon the completion of the counting of the votes, the Seanad returning officer shall seal up in separate packets the counted ballot papers and the ballot papers rejected as invalid. | ||
Retention of documents by Seanad returning officer. | ||
26. The Seanad returning officer shall retain for six months from the close of the poll the several sealed packets of the marked copy of the electoral roll, the counterfoils of the ballot papers, the covering envelopes received after the close of the poll, the outer envelopes returned as undelivered, the accepted declarations of identity, the rejected declarations of identity, the rejected ballot papers, the counted ballot papers, and the invalid ballot papers, and shall at the end of the said period of six months destroy all the said sealed packets unless an election tribunal has otherwise ordered. | ||
Inspection of sealed packets | ||
27. No person shall be allowed to inspect any of the said sealed packets retained by the Seanad returning officer nor any of the contents thereof save under and in accordance with an order of an election tribunal. | ||
Authority for inspection of sealed packets. | ||
28. An election tribunal may authorise the inspection by any person of the contents of any of the said sealed packets as justice may require, but on any such inspection care shall be taken that the mode in which in any particular elector has voted shall not be discovered until he has been proved to the satisfaction of an election tribunal to have voted and such tribunal has declared his vote to be invalid. | ||
Compliance with orders of election tribunal. | ||
29. The Seanad returning officer shall comply with every order made by an election tribunal in relation to the inspection, production, and disposal of the said sealed packets. | ||
Conclusiveness of production by Seanad returning officer. | ||
30. Where an order is made by an election tribunal for the production by the Seanad returning officer of any document or packet of documents in his possession under these Rules and relating to a specified election, the production by the Seanad returning officer of such document or packet of documents in pursuance of such order shall be conclusive evidence that such document or packet of documents relates to the said specified election and the endorsement made by the Seanad returning officer in pursuance of these Rules on any such document or packet of documents shall be conclusive evidence that such document or packet is what it is stated in such endorsement to be. | ||
Evidence of voting. | ||
31. The production by the Seanad returning officer of a ballot paper purporting to have been used at any election conducted under these Rules and of a counterfoil marked with the same printed number and having a number marked thereon in writing shall be prima facie evidence that the person who voted by such ballot paper was the person whose number on the electoral roll relating to such election was the same as the number so marked on such counterfoil. | ||
Endorsement of packets by Seanad returning officer. | ||
32. Whenever the Seanad returning officer is required by these Rules to seal up any documents in a separate packet, he shall endorse on such packet a statement of the number and character of such documents and the election to which they relate. | ||
Election tribunal. | ||
33. In these Rules, the expression “election tribunal” means a court lawfully having cognisance of petitions complaining of undue return or undue election at the relevant election. |