The European Parliamentary Elections (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2004

1. Introductory Text

2. PART 1 General

   1. 1. Citation, commencement and extent

   2. 2. Interpretation

   3. 3. Conduct of poll and count in the electoral region

   4. 4. Deputies and assistance

   5. 5. Polling districts and places

   6. 6. Rules for European Parliamentary elections

   7. 7. Manner of voting

   8. 8. Absent vote at elections for an indefinite period

   9. 9. Absent vote at a particular election and absent voters list

   10. 10. Proxies at elections

   11. 11. Voting as proxy

   12. 12. Offences as to declarations

   13. 13. Absent voting

   14. 14. Modification of the Regulations for 2004 elections

   15. 15. Returning officers

   16. 16. Payments by and to returning officers

   17. 17. Taxation of returning officer’s account

   18. 18. Effect of registers

   19. 19. Effect of misdescription

   20. 20. Discharge of registration duties

   21. 21. Payment of expenses of registration

   22. 22. Registration appeals

   23. 23. Personation

   24. 24. Offences relating to specified documents

   25. 25. Other voting offences

   26. 26. Breach of official duty

   27. 27. Tampering with nomination papers, ballot papers, etc

   28. 28. False statement in nomination papers

   29. 29. Offences in connection with candidature

   30. 30. Requirement of secrecy

   31. 31. Prohibition on publication of exit polls

3. PART 2 The Election Campaign

   1. 32. Interpretation of Part 2

   2. 33. Computation of time for purposes of Part 2

   3. 34. Appointment of election agent

   4. 35. Appointment of sub-agent

   5. 36. Office of election agent and sub-agent

   6. 37. Effect of default in election agent’s appointment

   7. 38. Control of donations to candidates

   8. 39. Payment of expenses through election agent

   9. 40. Candidate’s personal expenses, and petty expenses

   10. 41. Expenses incurred otherwise than for election purposes

   11. 42. Prohibition of expenses not authorised by election agent

   12. 43. Limitation of election expenses for candidates

   13. 44. Time for sending in and paying claims

   14. 45. Disputed claims

   15. 46. Election agent’s claim

   16. 47. Return as to election expenses

   17. 48. Declarations as to election expenses

   18. 49. Penalty for failure as respects return or declarations

   19. 50. Authorised excuses for failures as to return and declarations

   20. 51. Court’s power to require information from election agent or sub-agent

   21. 52. Duty of appropriate officer to forward returns and declarations to Electoral Commission

   22. 53. Publication of time and place for inspection of returns and declarations

   23. 54. Inspection of returns and declarations

   24. 55. Meaning of “election expenses”

   25. 56. Incurring of election expenses for purposes of regulation 55

   26. 57. Property, goods, services etc provided free of charge or at a discount

   27. 58. Candidate’s right to send election address post free

   28. 59. Broadcasting from outside United Kingdom

   29. 60. Broadcasting of local items during election period

   30. 61. Imitation poll cards

   31. 62. Disturbances at election meetings

   32. 63. Officials not to act for candidates

   33. 64. Illegal canvassing by police officers

   34. 65. False statements as to candidates

   35. 66. Corrupt withdrawal from candidature

   36. 67. Payments for exhibition of election notices

   37. 68. Details to appear on election publications

   38. 69. Prohibition of paid canvassers

   39. 70. Providing money for illegal purposes

   40. 71. Bribery

   41. 72. Treating

   42. 73. Undue influence

   43. 74. Rights of creditors

   44. 75. Savings as to European Parliamentary elections

4. PART 3 Vacancies

   1. 76. By-elections

5. PART 4 Legal Proceedings

   1. 77. Interpretation of Part 4

   2. 78. Computation of time for purposes of Part 4

   3. 79. Method of questioning European Parliamentary elections

   4. 80. Presentation and service of European Parliamentary election petitions

   5. 81. Time for presentation or amendment of European Parliamentary election petition

   6. 82. Constitution of election court and place of trial

   7. 83. Judges' expenses

   8. 84. Security for costs

   9. 85. Petition at issue

   10. 86. List of petitions

   11. 87. Trial of election issue

   12. 88. Witnesses

   13. 89. Duty to answer relevant questions

   14. 90. Expenses of witnesses

   15. 91. Conclusion of trial of European Parliamentary election petition

   16. 92. Special case for determination of the High Court

   17. 93. Withdrawal of petition

   18. 94. Costs of petition

   19. 95. Neglect or refusal to pay costs

   20. 96. Appeals and jurisdiction

   21. 97. Persons convicted of corrupt or illegal practices

   22. 98. Application for relief

   23. 99. Prosecutions for corrupt practices

   24. 100. Prosecutions for illegal practices

   25. 101. Conviction of illegal practice on charge of corrupt practice

   26. 102. Mitigation and remission etc

   27. 103. Illegal payments

   28. 104. Time limit for prosecution

   29. 105. Prosecution of offences committed outside the United Kingdom

   30. 106. Offences by associations

   31. 107. Evidence by certificate of holding of elections

   32. 108. Evidence by certificate of electoral registration

   33. 109. Director of Public Prosecutions

   34. 110. Costs

   35. 111. Service of notices

6. PART 5 Miscellaneous

   1. 112. Public notices and declarations

   2. 113. Remuneration for free postal services provided under the Regulations

   3. 114. Rateability of premises

   4. 115. Combination of polls

   5. 116. Revocation

7. Signature

8. SCHEDULES

   1. 1.

      European Parliamentary elections rules

   2. 2.

      Absent voters

   3. 3.

      Modifications for relevant citizens of the Accession States in 2004

   4. 4.

      Control of donations to candidates

   5. 5.

      Declaration as to election expenses

   6. 6.

      Combined polls

   7. 7.

      Revocations

9. Explanatory Note