Dominica / Dominica     House of Assembly (Elections) Act Regulations     Regulaciones, Ley de la Asamblea Nacional (Elecciones)

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SUBSIDIARY LEGISLATION

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HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY (ELECTION) REGULTIONS

ARRANGEMENT OF REGULATIONS

Regulation

1. Short title.
2. Rates of pay and travelling allowances.
3. Duties of returning officer.
4. Symbols for ballot papers.
5. Number of copies of lists to be printed.
6. Time off to be allowed employee to vote.

2.

1. Election officers shall be paid such sums for their services in connection with an election as may be approved by Parliament.

2. The Chief Elections Officer, the returning officer and the election clerck shall be paid travelling and substinence allowances at the rate prescribed for public officers by the Travellin Allowances Regulations in force.

3. There shall be paid to such other election officers, or to any other peson whose services may be engaged by the Chief Elections Officer in connection with an election, such travelling allowances as the Chief Elections Officer may consider appropriate.

3.

1. Upon his being appointed, the returning officer shall take and subscribe to the oath set out as Form 7 in the Schedule to the Act, and transmit the oath to the Chief Elections Officer.

2. He shall receive and study carefully the instruction book to returning officers, presiding officers and poll clerks (Books C and D) and the Act.

3. He shall receive and check the supplies to be used for the taking of the poll and secure the necessary number of ballot boxes.

4. He shall receive and endorse the writ of election.

5. On receipt of the writ he shall issue the election notice, and make final selection of polling stations subject to the approval of the Chief Elections Officer.

6. He shall recommend to the Chief Elections Officer one presiding officer for each polling station and one poll clerk for each station.

7. He shall send one form of the nomination paper and one form of the statutory declarations to every prospective candidate.

8. He shall attend at the place fixed for nomination from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm on nomination day; receive the nomination papers and statutory declarations of the candidates with the requisite deposits; issue receipt certificates; supply forms to candidtes for the appointment of agents; lodge deposits in the Treasury or Sub-Treasury; and undertake all other duties in connection with the nomination as directed by the Chief Elections Officer.

9. In cases where there is only one candidate nominated, he shall despatch to the Chief Elections Officer the returns necessary.

10. Where he is required to give notice for which no procedure is laid down he shall give the notice by posting it up in a conspicious place outside of the polling stations and police stations within the constituency or in such other manner as he thinks fit after consultation with the Chief Elections Officer.

11. He shall make all arrangements for and supervise the taking of the poll on polling day, and have collected after the close of the poll on polling day, the ballot boxes and the preliminary statements of the poll.

12. On the evening of the polling day he shall pepare the preliminary compilation of the votes polled, and communicate the results as soon as available to the Chief Elections Officer.

13. He shall add up the votes on the day fixed for that purpose by checking all the ballots cast for the candidates or which have been rejected by the presiding officers.

14. He shall check and certify accounts for the election clerk, presiding officers, poll clerks, messengers or any other officers appointed to serve in the constituency for election purposes.

15. He shall endorse the return of the writ and forward it to the Chief Elections Officer with the other papers and accounts as directed by the Act.

16. He shall perform such duties as the Chief Elections Officer may direct.

17. He shall make out a report to the Chief Elections Officer setting out -
    1. the day on which the writ was received and endorsed;
    2. the day on which the election notices were distributed;
    3. the number of polling stations established in his consituency;
    4. the nomination papers which were received and the nominations which were rejected, together with the causes for their rejection;
    5. the condidtion and number of ballot boxes and keys which were received;
    6. the day or days on which the final addition of the boxes was or were done;
    7. the day on which the declaration of the candidates was made;
    8. the name of the polic officer in whose custody the ballot boxes were deposited;
    9. any matters of particular significance or intent relating to the polling and the counting of the votes.

4.

1. There shall be printed upon every ballot paper opposite to the name of each candidate, one of the symbols shown in the Appendix to these Regulations which shall be allotted to each candidate in the manner hereinafter provided.

2. When the Chief Elections Officer is satisfied that a recognized political party has applied to him for a party symbol, he shall allocate one of the symbols marked 1 to 6 inclusive in the Appendix to these Regulations, to such party and the official candidate or candidates of such party, in each constituency, shall be entitled to have the party symbol opposite his name.
3. In the case of the other candidates the Chief Elections Officer shall allocate one of the symbols numbered 7 to 16 in the Appendix to these Regulations, to each such candidate; but the order in which the symbols are allocated shall correspond with the order in which the names of the candidates, excluding official party candidates, appear on the ballot paper.

5.

1. For the purpose of a general election, fifty copies of each list of electors for each polling station shall be printed.

2. All election officers shall be entitled to as many copies as they require, and as are approved by the Chief Elections Officer.

3. Every prospective candidate shall be entitled to one full set of the lists of electors for his constituency free of cost.

4. Subject to the distribution hereinbefore provided for, available lists of electors shall be sold to prospective candidates and to the general public at the rate of three cents for the list of electors relating to any polling district.

6. Every employer shall permit each elector in his employ to be absent from his work on polling day for two hours in addition to the normal mid-day meal hour.