Northern Ireland (Elections) Act 1998

2 The election

(1) The poll for the election of the initial members of the Assembly shall be held on 25th June 1998.

(2) A person is entitled to vote at the election in a constituency if on the day of the poll—

(a) he would be entitled to vote as an elector at a local election in a district electoral area wholly or partly comprised in the constituency, and

(b) he is registered at an address in the constituency in a register of local electors.

(3) Each vote in the poll shall be a single transferable vote.

(4) A single transferable vote is a vote—

(a) capable of being given so as to indicate the voter’s order of preference for the candidates for election as members for the constituency, and

(b) capable of being transferred to the next choice when the vote is not needed to give a prior choice the necessary quota of votes or when a prior choice is eliminated from the list of candidates because of a deficiency in the number of votes given for him.

(5) The Secretary of State may by order make provision about the election or any matter relating to it.

(6) In particular, an order may—

(a) provide for an alteration made after a specified date in a register of local electors to be disregarded;

(b) make provision about deposits.