Torres Strait Regional Authority Election Rules 2017 (Cth)

Torres Strait Regional Authority Election Rules 2017

I, The Hon. Sen. Nigel Scullion, Minister of Indigenous Affairs, make the following Rules

Dated 18 September 2017

The Hon. Sen. Nigel Scullion Minister of Indigenous Affairs

Contents Part 1 Preliminary 1 1 Name ...............................................1 2 Commencement.........................................1 3 Authority.............................................1 4 Definitions............................................1 5 Interpretation...........................................3 6 Schedules.............................................4 7 TSRA wards...........................................4 8 TSRA ward boundaries.....................................5 9 Designated number for TSRA wards.............................6 10 Electoral Commissioner may give directions........................6 11 Returning Officer........................................6 12 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander liaison officers....................6 13 Liaison officer to be present during polling.........................7 Part 2 Nominations 8 14 Qualifications of person nominated..............................8 15 Manner of nomination......................................8 16 To whom nominations made..................................8 17 Requirements for nomination.................................8 18 Form of consent to act......................................9 19 Rejection of nomination....................................9 20 Place of nomination.......................................9 21 Day of nomination........................................9 22 Hour of nomination.......................................9 23 Declaration of nominations...................................9 24 Withdrawal of consent to nomination............................10 25 Where poll to be held.....................................10 26 Death of candidate after nomination.............................10 27 Failure of election.......................................10 Part 3 Conduct of the election 11 Division 1 General 11 28 Persons not to vote more than once.............................11 29 Photographs of candidates..................................11 30 Undertaking by officers and scrutineers...........................11 31 Ballot‑boxes to be securely fastened.......................11 32 Official mark..........................................11 Division 2 Postal voting 12 33 Grounds for applying for postal vote............................12 34 Application for postal vote..................................12 35 Duty of an authorised witness................................12 36 Issue of postal voter cards and ballot‑papers..................13 37 Inspection of applications...................................13 38 Form of postal voter cards..................................13 39 Postal voting..........................................13 40 Unauthorised interference...................................15 41 Procedure for dealing with postal voter cards etc.....................15 42 Opening postal ballot‑papers 43 Failure to post or deliver postal vote application or ballot‑paper 44 Inducing voter to hand over marked ballot‑paper................16 45 Commencement of preliminary scrutiny of postal votes.................16 46 Conduct of preliminary scrutiny of postal votes......................16 47 Mistakes.............................................18 48 Correction of formal errors 49 Further investigation of postal votes by a regional panel.................19 Division 3 Pre‑poll voting 50 Grounds for applying for pre‑poll vote 51 Pre‑polling voting officers 52 Applying for a pre‑poll vote 53 Place and time for applying..................................20 54 Pre‑poll voting 55 Form of pre‑poll voter card............................22 56 Record of issue of pre‑poll voting papers 57 Opening of pre‑poll voting envelope 58 Obligations of persons present when pre‑poll vote is cast 59 Mistakes.............................................23 60 Correction of formal errors 61 Further investigation of pre‑poll votes by a regional panel Division 4 The Poll 62 Arrangements for polling 63 Substitute 64 Use of licensed premises as polling booth 65 Separate voting compartments 66 Ballot‑boxes 67 Ballot‑papers 68 Printing of ballot‑papers 69 Determination of order on ballot‑papers 70 Ballot‑papers to be initialled 71 Scrutineers at the polling 72 Provisions relating to scrutineers 73 Persons present at polling 74 Polling 75 Where voters may vote 76 Interpretation 77 Mobile polling booths — hospitals 78 Provisions related to rule 77.................................29 79 Mobile polling booths — prisons..............................30 80 Mobile polling booths.....................................31 81 Forwarding of votes......................................33 82 Questions to ask voter .....................................34 83 Completion of voter card...................................34 84 Objection by scrutineer....................................34 85 Voter record...........................................34 86 Voting procedure........................................35 87 Function of liaison officers..................................35 88 Review by regional panel...................................36 89 Voter to quit booth.......................................36 90 Assisting certain voters....................................37 91 Spoilt ballot‑papers.................................38 92 Marking of votes........................................38 93 Adjournment of polling....................................38 94 Adjournment in other cases..................................38 95 Voting at adjourned polling..................................39 96 When elections held in some wards only..........................39 Part 4 The scrutiny 40 97 Scrutiny.............................................40 98 Scrutineers............................................40 99 Conduct of scrutiny......................................40 100 Scrutiny of votes........................................40 101 Computerised scrutiny of votes................................43 102 Combination of manual and computer scrutiny permitted................45 103 Scrutiny of postal and pre‑poll ballot‑papers.............45 104 Action on objections to ballot‑papers.......................45 105 Officers not to mark ballot‑papers so that voter can be identified......46 106 Counting of votes........................................46 107 Exhaustion of ballot paper..................................46 108 Re‑count at elections................................46 109 Recount.............................................47 110 Sending ballot‑papers electronically.......................48 111 Powers of officer conducting recount............................48 112 Reservation of disputed ballot‑papers......................48 Part 5 The declaration of the Poll 49 113 Declaration of Poll.......................................49 114 Correction of errors......................................49 115 Extension of time........................................49 Part 6 Casual Vacancies 50 Division 1 Preliminary 50 116 Interpretation..........................................50 117 Notice to TSRA.........................................50 118 Request to the Electoral Commissioner...........................50 119 Electoral Commissioner to fill casual vacancy.......................50 Division 2 Recount of Votes 51 120 Notice to unsuccessful candidates..............................51 121 Declaration by unsuccessful candidate...........................51 122 Time for receipt of declarations...............................52 123 Rejection of declaration....................................52 124 Withdrawal of declaration...................................52 125 Proceedings on declaration day................................52 126 Further action in relation to declarations..........................52 127 Public notice of proceedings on declaration day......................53 128 Returning Officer to conduct recount............................53 129 Scrutineers at the recount...................................53 130 Conduct of the recount....................................54 131 Declaration of the recount...................................54 Division 3 By-elections 54 132 Conduct of by-elections....................................54 133 Timing of by-elections and location of polling places..................54 Part 7 Electoral offences 56 134 Interpretation..........................................56 135 Officers and scrutineers to observe secrecy.........................56 136 Bribery..............................................56 137 Interference with political liberty..............................57 138 Officers not to influence vote.................................57 139 Printing and publication of electoral advertisements, notices etc............57 140 Misleading or deceptive publications etc..........................58 141 False statements about enrolment..............................58 142 Heading to electoral advertisements.............................58 143 Authors of reports etc. to be identified...........................59 144 Cards in polling booth.....................................59 145 Signature to electoral paper..................................59 146 Witnessing electoral papers..................................60 147 False certification.......................................60 148 Unlawfully marking ballot‑papers........................61 149 Other offences relating to ballot‑papers etc...................61 150 Prohibition of canvassing near polling booths.......................61 151 Badges or emblems in polling booths............................62 152 Forging or uttering electoral papers.............................62 153 Protection of the official mark................................62 154 Misconduct in polling booth.................................63 155 Re‑entry after removal from booth........................63 156 Defamation of candidate...................................64 157 Publication of matter regarding candidates.........................64 Part 8 Miscellaneous 65 158 Further elections........................................65 159 Advice to voters not entitled to vote in respect of a ward.................65 160 Extension of time for acts by officers............................65 161 Proof of posting.........................................65 162 Storage and destruction of electoral papers.........................66 163 Authorised official inquiry..................................66 164 Collection of statistical information.............................66 165 Approved forms........................................67 166 Delegation............................................67 Schedule 1—Repeals 68 Torres Strait Regional Authority Election Rules 1996 Schedule 2—Grounds on which to apply for postal or pre‑poll vote 69 Schedule 1— Procedure at the recount 70