Electoral Fraud (Northern Ireland) Act 2002

2 Dates of birth and ballot papers

(1) Schedule 1 to the 1983 Act (parliamentary elections rules) is amended as follows.

(2) In rule 35 (questions to be put to voters)—

(a) after paragraph (1) there is inserted—

“(1A) In the case of a person applying as an elector, the presiding officer may put the following additional question—

“What is your date of birth?”.”, and

(b) in paragraph (2), after “mentioned” there is inserted “in paragraph (1)”.

(3) In rule 37 (delivery of ballot paper to voter except in cases of doubt)—

(a) in paragraph (1B), for “the document” to the end there is substituted—

“(a) the document; or

(b) the apparent age of the voter as compared with his age according to the date supplied as the date of his birth pursuant to section 10(4A)(b), 10A(1A)(b) or 13A(2A)(b) of this Act,

raises a reasonable doubt as to whether the voter is the elector or proxy he represents himself to be.”,

(b) in paragraph (1C), for the words from “Where” to “decides,” there is substituted “Where in such a case it is a presiding officer who so decides,”, and

(c) for paragraph (1D) there is substituted—

“(1D) Where in such a case it is a clerk who so decides, he shall refer the matter and produce the document to the presiding officer, who shall proceed as if it had been to him that the voter had presented himself and produced the document in the first place.”

(4) In rule 40 (tendered ballot papers), in paragraph (1B), after “where” there is inserted—

“(a) under paragraph (3) of rule 35 a ballot paper is not delivered to a person following his unsatisfactory answer to the question in paragraph (1A) of that rule; or

(b)”.