Paragraph 24 Appointment of presiding officers and polling clerks

(1)

The returning officer must appoint and pay a presiding officer to attend at each polling station and such clerks as may be necessary for the purposes of the election, but he must not appoint any person who has been employed by or on behalf of a candidate in or about the election.

(2)

The returning officer may, if he thinks fit, preside at a polling station and the provisions of these Rules relating to a presiding officer shall apply to a returning officer so presiding with the necessary modifications as to things to be done by the returning officer to the presiding officer or by the presiding officer to the returning officer.

(3)

A presiding officer may do, by the clerks appointed to assist him, any act (including the asking of questions) which he is required or authorised by these Rules to do at a polling station F1except—

(a)

order the arrest of any person or the exclusion or removal of any person from the polling station,

(b)

refuse to deliver a ballot paper under rule 33(3) or under rule 35(1E) (including that rule as applied by rules 36, 37 or 38), or

(c)

resolve doubts over identity as F2mentioned in rule 35(1F) (including that rule as applied by rule 36, 37 or 38).

Annotations

Textual amendments

F1: Words in Sch. 2 rule 24(3) substituted (16.1.2023 with application in accordance with rule 1(3)(4) of the amending S.I.) by The Voter Identification (Principal Area, Parish and Greater London Authority Elections) (Amendment) Rules 2022 (S.I. 2022/1397), rules 1(1), 4(4)
F2: Word in Sch. 2 rule 24(3)(c) substituted (31.10.2023) by The Local Government and Greater London Authority Elections (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2023 (S.I. 2023/1066), regs. 1(2)(b), 3(7)