S.I. No. 166/1979:

EUROPEAN ASSEMBLY AND LOCAL ELECTIONS (SPECIAL DIFFICULTY) ORDER, 1979.

EUROPEAN ASSEMBLY AND LOCAL ELECTIONS (SPECIAL DIFFICULTY) ORDER, 1979.

Whereas it appears to the Minister for the Environment that, by reason of the suspension of normal postal services, there is a special difficulty in relation to the holding of the European Assembly and local elections to be held in the year 1979, the Minister for the Environment, in exercise of the powers conferred on him by section 92 of the Electoral Act, 1963 (No. 19 of 1963), as amended by section 21 of the European Assembly Elections Act, 1977 (No. 30 of 1977), hereby orders as follows:

1. This Order may be cited as the European Assembly and Local Elections (Special Difficulty) Order, 1979.

2. In this Order--

"Assembly local returning officer" has the same meaning as in the European Assembly and Local Elections Regulations, 1979 (No. 138 of 1979);

"postal voter" means in relation to an election a person entitled to vote by post at that election;

"relevant returning officer" means, in relation to a postal voter at the European Assembly election, the Assembly local returning officer for the county or county borough in which the voter is registered as an elector and, in relation to a postal voter at a local election, the returning officer for that election.

3. The provisions of the Local Elections Acts 1963 to 1974, of the European Assembly Elections Act, 1977 and of the Regulations made under those Acts as respects postal voting and polling cards are hereby adapted in relation to the European Assembly election and the local elections to be held in the year 1979 as is set out in article 4 of this Order.

4. (1) The ballot papers and the forms of receipt to be sent to postal voters shall be sent to them by post or in such other manner as the relevant returning officer considers appropriate.

(2) A postal voter may deliver or send his ballot paper by post or in any other manner to the relevant returning officer and a postal ballot paper which is received by the relevant returning officer before the close of the poll shall not be rejected solely on the grounds that it was not sent to the relevant returning officer by post.

(3) The relevant returning officer shall send to each postal voter an instruction that the ballot paper may be returned to him by post or in any other manner.

(4) The Assembly local returning officer, instead of sending a polling card to each elector, may take such steps as he considers appropriate for the purpose of informing electors of the polling day and of the place at which each elector will be entitled to vote.

GIVEN under the Official Seal of the Minister for the Environment this

10th day of May, 1979.

SYLVESTER BARRETT,

Minister for the Environment.

EXPLANATORY NOTE.

This Order makes provision in respect of certain difficulties which have arisen, by reason of the suspension of normal postal services, in relation to the holding of the European Assembly and local elections in 1979.