Electoral Act, 1923

Returning Officers.

23.—(1) The returning officer at an election in any constituency other than a University constituency shall be:—

(a) In the case of the borough constituency the under sheriff of the borough or city in which such constituency is wholly or partly situate.

(b) In the case of a county constituency which is coterminous with or wholly contained in one administrative county the under sheriff of that administrative county.

(c) In the case of a county constituency which is situate in two or more administrative counties, the under-sheriff of such one of those administrative counties as the Minister for Local Government shall from time to time appoint, but the under-sheriff of any other of those administrative counties shall, if he so desires, be appointed by the returning officer to act as assistant returning officer for the purpose of the execution, in the part of the constituency within the jurisdiction of such under-sheriff, of any powers and duties of the returning officer other than powers and duties which require to be executed by the returning officer in person, and any question as to the respective rights and obligations of any such returning officer and any such under-sheriff under this provision shall be determined by the Minister for Local Government, whose determination shall be final.

(2) The returning officers for the University constituencies shall be:—

(a) In the case of Dublin University constituency the Provost of Trinity College, Dublin.

(b) In the case of the National University constituency, the Vice-Chancellor of the National University:

Provided that if at the time of an election in any University constituency the office mentioned in this sub-section as constituting the holder thereof returning officer for the constituency is vacant, or the holder of that office is through ill-health or from any other cause incapacitated from acting as returning officer in that election, the governing body of the University shall appoint some other officer of the University to be returning officer for the constituency at that election.