Electoral Act, 1997

Amendment of Act of 1997.

69.—The Act of 1997 is hereby amended by the insertion of the following Rule after Rule 29 of the Second Schedule:

“Voting by electors referred to in section 63 of the Electoral Act, 1997.

29A.—(1) The provisions of this Part shall apply to the issue of ballot papers to, and the return of such ballot papers by, electors whose names are entered in the postal voters list pursuant to section 63 of the Electoral Act, 1997, subject to the following modifications:

(a) an elector whose name is so entered in the postal voters list, in order to vote, shall in a Garda Síochána station in the presence of a member of the Garda Síochána do the following things in the following order—

(i) produce to the member of the Garda Síochána the envelope addressed to the elector pursuant to Rule 32(3), the ballot paper (in relation to which the member of the Garda Síochána shall establish that it is unmarked) and a form of declaration of identity in the form directed by the Minister;

(ii) complete and sign the said declaration of identity;

(iii) hand the declaration of identity to the member of the Garda Síochána who shall, on being satisfied as to the identity of the person who has signed the declaration, witness the signature and stamp the declaration of identity with the stamp of the Garda Síochána station and destroy the envelope addressed to the elector;

(iv) mark, in secret, the ballot paper;

(v) place the marked ballot paper in the ballot paper envelope, and effectually seal such envelope;

(vi) place the ballot paper envelope and the completed declaration of identity in the covering envelope and effectually seal that envelope;

and shall send the last-mentioned envelope by post to the local returning officer;

(b) a reference to ‘receipt’, in relation to documents appropriate to such electors, shall be construed as a reference to ‘declaration of identity’; and

(c) a reference to ‘receipt duly signed’, in relation to such documents, shall be construed as a reference to ‘declaration of identity duly signed and witnessed and stamped with the stamp of the Garda Síochána station’.

(2) In this Rule ‘ballot paper envelope’ and ‘covering envelope’ shall have the meanings specified in Rule 32(3).”.