Electoral (Amendment) Act, 1946

Appointment of deputy returning officers.

5.—(1) Where the same person is returning officer for two or more constituencies, in each of which there is at the same time a contested election, he shall—

(a) in case those constituencies are two and no more, appoint, in respect of one of them, a deputy returning officer to open the ballot boxes and count the votes,

(b) in any other case, appoint, in respect of each of the constituencies (except one), a deputy returning officer to open the ballot boxes and count the votes,

and every deputy returning officer so appointed in respect of a constituency shall open the ballot boxes and count the votes cast at the election in that constituency.

(2) Where the returning officer for a constituency is prevented by illness or other reasonable cause from conducting the election in such constituency, he may appoint a deputy returning officer to carry out all or any of his duties, and any deputy returning officer so appointed shall carry out the duties for which he is appointed.

(3) No person shall be appointed a deputy returning officer under subsection (1) or subsection (2) of this section whose proposed appointment is not approved of by the Minister.

(4) The expression “returning officer” in the Fifth Schedule to the Principal Act includes any deputy returning officer appointed by the returning officer under this section for the discharge of any duties of such returning officer.