Referendum Act, 1942

Questions and oaths at the poll at a referendum.

21.—(1) No question, inquiry, or objection shall be put, made, or permitted during the poll at a referendum as to the right of any person to vote, and no objection to the right of any person to vote shall be made or received by any presiding officer at such poll save only that the presiding officer may, and, if so required by a personation agent, shall put to any person at the time of his applying for a ballot paper and not afterwards the following questions, or any two or one of them, viz.:—

(i) Are you the same person as the person whose name appears as A B on the register of electors now in force for the constituency of___________________________

(ii) Have you already voted at this referendum?

(iii) Have you attained the age of twenty-one years?

And unless such of those questions as are put to such person are answered, in the case of the first and third of those questions, in the affirmative and, in the case of the second of those questions, in the negative that person shall not vote.

(2) A presiding officer at the poll at a referendum may, and, if so required by a personation agent, shall administer to any person at the time of his applying for a ballot paper and not afterwards an oath or (in the case of any person who objects to take an oath on the ground that he has no religious belief or that the taking of an oath is contrary to his religious belief) an affirmation in the following form:—

“I swear by Almighty God (or I, A B, do solemnly, sincerely and truly declare and affirm— as the case may be) that I am the same person as the person whose name appears as A B on the register of electors now in force for the constituency of ________________________ and that I have not already voted at this referendum, and that I have attained the age of twenty-one years.”

(3) Save as is mentioned in this section, it shall not be lawful at the poll at a referendum to require any person to take any oath or affirmation either in respect of his right to vote or any other matter whatsoever.

(4) It shall not be lawful to reject any vote tendered at a referendum by any person whose name appears as a Dáil elector upon the register of electors in force for the time being except by reason of its appearing to the presiding officer upon putting the questions aforesaid, or any two or one of them, that the person so claiming to vote is not the person whose name appears on such register as aforesaid, or that such person has already voted at that referendum or that such person has not attained the age of twenty-one years or except by reason of such person refusing to answer the said questions, or any two or one of them, or to take the said oath or make the said affirmation.

(5) Where the same day is the polling day at two or more referenda, the following provisions shall have effect, that is to say:—

(a) in the questions and oath authorised by this section the words “any of these referenda” shall be substituted for the words “this referendum”;

(b) a person who applies for a ballot paper shall be deemed to tender his vote at all the said referenda;

(c) subject to the provisions of this Act in relation to a voter who inadvertently spoils his ballot paper, a voter who receives a ballot paper shall not be entitled to receive another ballot paper on the ground that he did not record on the said ballot paper a vote in respect of all the said referenda.