Paragraph 29 Admission to polling station

Northern Ireland

C1(F11)

The presiding officer shall exclude all persons from the polling station except—

(a)

voters;

(b)

persons under the age of 18 who accompany voters to the polling station;

(c)

the candidates and their election agents;

(d)

the polling agents appointed to attend at the polling station;

(e)

the clerks appointed to attend at the polling station;

(f)

persons who are entitled to attend by virtue of any of sections 6A to 6D of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000;

(g)

the constables on duty; and

(h)

the companions of voters with disabilities.

(1A)

The presiding officer shall regulate the total number of voters and persons under the age of 18 who accompany them to be admitted to the polling station at the same time.

(2)

Not more than one polling agent shall be admitted at the same time to a polling station on behalf of the same candidate.

(3)

A constable,F2. . . or a person employed by a returning officer shall not be admitted to vote in person elsewhere than at the polling station allotted to him, except on production and surrender of a certificate as to his employment, which shall be in the form in the Appendix and shall be signed—

(a)

in the case of a constable, by an officer of the Royal Ulster Constabulary not below the rank of F3. . . inspector;

Sub-para. (b) omitted by SI 1987/168

(c)

in the case of a person employed by the returning officer, by that officer.

(4)

Any certificate surrendered under this rule shall forthwith be cancelled.

Annotations

Textual amendments

F1: Sch. 5 rule 29(1)(1A) substituted (1.7.2008) for Sch. 5 rule 29(1) by Electoral Administration Act 2006 (c. 22), ss. 47, 77(2), Sch. 1 para. 57; S.I. 2008/1316, art. 2(3), 5(f)(iii)
F2: SI 1987/168
F3: Word in Sch. 5 rule 29(3)(a) omitted (16.12.2010) by virtue of Local Elections (Northern Ireland) Order 2010 (S.I. 2010/2977), arts. 1(2), 4, Sch. 1 para. 63 (with art. 1(3))

Modifications

C1: Sch. 5 rule 29(1) modified (16.2.2011) by Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act 2011 (c. 1), s. 19(1), Sch. 8 para. 19(3)

Notes on the whole Act

Textual amendments

F1: Refs. to registration officer, returning officer or electoral officer are to be construed as refs. to Chief Electoral Officer, 1972 NI 13

Notes on Schedule 5

Textual amendments

F1: SI 1985/454

Modifications

C1: Sch. 5 modified (12.12.2013) by The Local Elections (Northern Ireland) Order 2013 (S.I. 2013/3156), arts. 1(1), 10(1), Sch. (with art. 10(2)) (as amended (15.9.2014) by S.I. 2014/1116, arts. 1(1), 10(2)(4); (13.7.2020) by S.I. 2020/635, arts. 1(2), 12 (with art. 1(3)))