Electoral (Amendment) Act, 1959

Returning officers and assistant returning officers.

7.—(1) The returning officer for a constituency specified in the Schedule to this Act shall be—

(a) in case the whole of the constituency is situate in a county or county borough for which there is a sheriff—the sheriff,

(b) in case part of the constituency is situate in a county borough and part in a county and there is a sheriff for the county borough and a sheriff for the county—either the sheriff for the county borough or the sheriff for the county as the Minister by order appoints from time to time,

(c) in any other case—the county registrar or, where part of the constituency has one county registrar and part another county registrar, such one of the county registrars as the Minister by order appoints from time to time.

(2) A county registrar or sheriff for a county who is the returning officer for a constituency part of which is situate in the county and the other part of which is situate in another county or a county borough, or a county registrar or sheriff for a county borough who is the returning officer for a constituency part of which is situate in the county borough and the other part in a county, may appoint the appropriate officer, and shall appoint him if he so requires, to be assistant returning officer for the other part of the constituency.

In this subsection, “the appropriate officer” means—

(a) in case there is a sheriff for the other part of the constituency—the sheriff,

(b) in any other case—the county registrar for the other part of the constituency.

(3) The duties of an assistant returning officer shall be the performance, in the part of a constituency for which he was appointed, of such of the duties of the returning officer for the constituency as that officer is not required by law to perform in person, but if any doubt arises as to the duties of an assistant returning officer, the doubt shall be determined by the Minister.