Municipal Corporations Act 1882

PART IV Enactments which are to revive on the Expiration of the Ballot Act.

With respect to a contested election of councillors, elective auditors, or revising assessors, the following rules shall be observed :

1 The returning officer shall cause the requisite polling booths to be erected, or the requisite rooms to be hired and used as polling booths.

2 The returning officer shall, at least two days before the day of election, give public notice of the situation, division, and allotment of the different booths.

3 Each booth shall be divided into compartments, and the returning officer shall appoint a clerk to take the poll at each compartment.

4 There shall be affixed on each booth a notice specifying the part of the borough for which it is allotted.

5 No person shall be admitted to vote at any booth except that allotted for the part in which his qualifying property is situate, unless no booth is allotted for that part, in which case he may vote at any booth.

6 If there is more than one booth, the returning officer may appoint a deputy to preside at each booth.

7 A burgess may vote by delivering to the returning officer or his deputy a voting paper containing the surnames and other names of the persons for whom he votes, with their abodes and descriptions. The voting paper must be signed by the burgess, and must state the qualifying property in respect of which he votes.

8 The returning officer or his deputy shall, if so required by two burgesses, put to any person offering to vote at the time of his delivering in his voting paper, but not afterwards, the following question :

"Are you the person whose name is signed as [A.B.] to the voting paper now delivered in by you?" The vote of a person required to answer this question shall not, be received until he has answered it. If any person wilfully makes a false answer thereto he shall be guilty of a misdemeanour.

9 The returning officer shall, at the close of the poll, examine the voting papers, and shall publish a list of the persons elected not later than two o'clock in the afternoon of the day next but one after the day of election.

10 The town clerk shall, for a period of six months from the day of election, keep at his office the voting papers used at the election, and shall permit any burgess to inspect the same on payment of one shilling for each search.