{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/senedd-cymru-representation-of-the-people-order-2025/schedule-5/rule-44",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/senedd-cymru-representation-of-the-people-order-2025/schedule-5/rule-44.json",
  "legislation": "wsi/2025/864",
  "legislation_title": "The Senedd Cymru (Representation of the People) Order 2025",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/senedd-cymru-representation-of-the-people-order-2025",
  "path": "schedule/5/rule/44",
  "kind": "rule",
  "number": "44",
  "heading": "Questions to be put to voters",
  "text": "(1) At the time of an application for a ballot paper, but not afterwards, the presiding officer may put to any person described in column (1) of Table 1 (set out in paragraph (4)) or in column (1) of Table 2 (set out in paragraph (5)), one or more of the questions set out in the corresponding entries in columns (2) and (3).\n(2) If required to do so by a candidate or the election or polling agent of an individual candidate or registered political party standing nominated, the presiding officer must put to any person described in column (1) of Table 1 one or more of the questions set out in the corresponding entries in columns (2) and (3).\n(3) A question may be asked in English (as set out in column (2) of the Tables) or Welsh (as set out in column (3) of the Tables).\n(4) Table 1 sets out the questions that a presiding officer may put under paragraph (1) and that a candidate, or election or polling agent of an individual candidate or registered political party standing nominated may require to be put under paragraph (2).\nTable 1\nColumn (1)\nColumn (2)\nColumn (3)\nDescription\nQuestion to be asked in English\nQuestion to be asked in Welsh\n1. A person applying as an elector\n1(a) “Are you the person registered in the register of local government electors as follows?”\nNotes to 1(a)\nThe presiding officer must then read the whole entry from the copies of the registration records.\n1(b) “Have you already voted, here or elsewhere, at this election, otherwise than as proxy for some other person?”\n1(a) “Ai chi yw’r person sydd wedi ei gofrestru yn y gofrestr etholwyr llywodraeth leol fel a ganlyn?”\nNodiadau ar 1(a)\nYna rhaid i’r swyddog llywyddu ddarllen y cofnod cyfan o’r copïau o’r cofnodion cofrestru.\n1(b) “Ydych chi eisoes wedi pleidleisio, fan hyn neu rywle arall, yn yr etholiad hwn, heblaw fel dirprwy ar ran rhyw berson arall?”\n2. A person applying as a proxy for an elector other than an elector who has an anonymous entry\n2(a) “Are you the person whose name appears as AB in the list of proxies for this election as entitled to vote as proxy on behalf of CD?”\n2(b) “Have you already voted, here or elsewhere, at this election, as proxy on behalf of CD?”\n2(c) “Are you the spouse, civil partner, parent, grandparent, brother, sister , child or grandchild of CD?”\nNotes to 2(a) to (c)\nWhere a question refers to AB, the presiding officer reads out the name as it appears in the list of proxies. Where a question refers to CD, the presiding officer reads out the name of the elector.\n2(a) “Ai chi yw’r person y mae ei enw’n ymddangos fel AB yn y rhestr dirprwyon ar gyfer yr etholiad hwn fel person sydd â hawl i bleidleisio fel dirprwy ar ran CD?”\n2(b) “Ydych chi eisoes wedi pleidleisio, fan hyn neu rywle arall, yn yr etholiad hwn, fel dirprwy ar ran CD?”\n2(c) “Ai chi yw priod, partner sifil, rhiant, taid/tad-cu, nain/mam-gu, brawd, chwaer, plentyn, ŵyr neu wyres CD?”\nNodiadau ar 2(a) i (c)\nPan fo cwestiwn yn cyfeirio at AB, mae’r swyddog llywyddu’n darllen yr enw fel y mae’n ymddangos yn y rhestr dirprwyon. Pan fo cwestiwn yn cyfeirio at CD, mae’r swyddog llywyddu’n darllen enw’r etholwr.\n3. A person applying as proxy for an elector who has an anonymous entry, instead of the questions at entry 2.\n3(a) “Are you the person entitled to vote as proxy on behalf of the elector whose number on the register of electors is [X]?”\n3(b) “Have you already voted, here or elsewhere, at this election, as proxy on behalf of the elector whose number on the register of electors is [X]?”\n3(c) “Are you the spouse, civil partner, parent, grandparent, brother, sister, child or grandchild of the elector whose number on the register of electors is [X]?”\nNote to 3(a) to (c)\nWhere the questions in this entry refer to [X], the presiding officer must read the elector’s number from the copies of the registration records.\n3(a) “Ai chi yw’r person sydd â hawl i bleidleisio fel dirprwy ar ran yr etholwr sydd â’r rhif [X] yn y gofrestr etholwyr?”\n3(b) “Ydych chi eisoes wedi pleidleisio, fan hyn neu rywle arall, yn yr etholiad hwn, fel dirprwy ar ran yr etholwr sydd â’r rhif [X] yn y gofrestr etholwyr?”\n3(c) “Ai chi yw priod, partner sifil, rhiant, taid/tad-cu, nain/mam-gu, brawd, chwaer, plentyn, ŵyr neu wyres yr etholwr sydd â’r rhif [X] yn y gofrestr etholwyr?”\nNodiadau ar 3(a) i (c)\nPan fo’r cwestiynau yn y cofnod hwn yn cyfeirio at [X], rhaid i’r swyddog llywyddu ddarllen rhif yr etholwr o’r copïau o’r cofnodion cofrestru.\n4. A person applying as proxy who has been asked the question numbered 2(c) or 3(c) and has not answered “yes”\n4 “At this election, have you already voted in this constituency on behalf of two persons of whom you are not the spouse, civil partner, parent, grandparent, brother, sister, child or grandchild?”\n4 “Yn yr etholiad hwn, ydych chi eisoes wedi pleidleisio yn yr etholaeth hon ar ran dau berson nad ydych yn briod, yn bartner sifil, yn rhiant, yn daid/tad-cu neu’n nain/mam-gu, yn frawd, yn chwaer, yn blentyn, yn ŵyr neu’n wyres iddynt?”\n(5) Table 2 sets out the questions that a presiding officer may put under paragraph (1), but cannot be required to put under paragraph (2).\nTable 2\nColumn (1)\nColumn (2)\nColumn (3)\nDescription\nQuestion to be asked in English\nQuestion to be asked in Welsh\n1. A person applying as an elector in relation to whom there is an entry in the postal voters list\n1(a) “Did you apply to vote by post?”\n1(b) “Why have you not voted by post?”\n1(a) “Wnaethoch chi gais am bleidleisio drwy’r post?”\n1(b) “Pam nad ydych chi wedi pleidleisio drwy’r post?”\n2. A person applying as proxy who is named in the proxy postal voters list.\n2(a) “Did you apply to vote by post as proxy?”\n2(b) “Why have you not voted by post as proxy?”\n2(a) “Wnaethoch chi gais am bleidleisio drwy’r post fel dirprwy?”\n2(b) “Pam nad ydych chi wedi pleidleisio drwy’r post fel dirprwy?”\n(6) A ballot paper must not be given to any person required to answer one or more of the questions in Table 1 or 2 unless the person has answered the question or questions satisfactorily.\n(7) Except as authorised by this rule, no inquiry is permitted as to the right of any person to vote.\n(8) In this rule, “the copies of the registration records” means the copies provided by the returning officer for the polling station under rule 37(3)(b) and (c) (copies of the relevant register of electors and copies of any notices issued under section 13B(3B) or (3D) of the 1983 Act relating to the relevant register of electors).",
  "extent": "E+W",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "Word in Sch. 5 rule 44(4) Table 1 inserted (24.3.2026) by The Representation of the People (Absent Voting and Miscellaneous Amendments) (Wales) Regulations 2026 (W.S.I. 2026/91), regs. 1(2), 43(4)(a)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "Word in Sch. 5 rule 44(4) Table 1 inserted (24.3.2026) by The Representation of the People (Absent Voting and Miscellaneous Amendments) (Wales) Regulations 2026 (W.S.I. 2026/91), regs. 1(2), 43(4)(b)"
    },
    {
      "type": "I",
      "label": "I1",
      "text": "Sch. 5 rule 44 in force at 18.7.2025, see art. 1(2)"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/wsi/2025/864/schedule/5/rule/44",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-11-14T03:35:52.324656+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}