Overview

This bill amends the Representation of the People Act 1983 to ensure that all electors present within the designated precincts of a polling station at the official closing time are allowed to vote, regardless of whether they arrived before the official closing time.

Description

The Electoral Law (Amendment) Bill modifies the 1983 Act by adding two new rules (1A and 1B) to Schedule 1. Rule 1A mandates that at any general, by, or local election, all eligible electors physically within the polling station's precincts when the poll closes must receive a ballot paper and be permitted to vote. Rule 1B assigns the responsibility of defining the polling station's precincts to the relevant Presiding Officer, Returning Officer, or Acting Returning Officer.

Government Spending

The bill is not expected to significantly impact government spending. The administrative costs associated with implementing the changes are likely to be minimal.

Groups Affected

This bill primarily affects:

• Electors: Gives additional voting rights to those present in the polling station precincts at closing time.
• Polling station officials (Presiding Officers, Returning Officers, Acting Returning Officers): Increases their responsibilities by requiring them to define precinct boundaries and ensure compliance with the new rules.

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