Local Elections (Principal Areas) (Amendment) Rules 2001
| Jurisdiction | UK Non-devolved |
| Citation | SI 2001/81 |
| Year | 2001 |
2001 No. 81
REPRESENTATION OF THE PEOPLE
The Local Elections (Principal Areas) (Amendment) Rules 2001
Made 15th January 2001
Laid before Parliament 25th January 2001
Coming into force 16th February 2001
The Secretary of State in exercise of the powers conferred on him by section 36(1) of the Representation of the People Act 19831hereby makes the following Rules:
1.—(1) These Rules may be cited as the Local Elections (Principal Areas) (Amendment) Rules 2001.
(2) These Rules shall come into force on 16th February 2001 except for the purposes of any election where the last day for the publication of the notice of election in respect of that election precedes that date.
(3) Rule 5(3) of the Local Elections (Principal Areas) (Amendment) Rules 19982is hereby revoked.
(4) These Rules do not extend to Scotland or Northern Ireland.
2. The rules in Schedule 2 to the Local Elections (Principal Areas) Rules 19863shall be amended as follows.
3. For rule 4(3) (nomination of candidates) substitute:
“3 The description (if any) must consist of either—
(a) a description (of not more than six words in length) which is authorised as mentioned in rule 4A(1) below4; or
(b) the word “Independent”.”.
4.—(1) Rule 4A (nomination papers: name of registered political party) is amended as follows.
(2) In paragraph (1), after “unless” insert “the party is a qualifying party in relation to the electoral area and”.
(3) For paragraph (3) substitute:
“3 For the purposes of the application of this rule in relation to an election—
(a) “registered political party” means a party which was registered under Part II of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 20005at the time by which the notice of election is required to be published by virtue of rule 1 above (“the relevant time”);
(b) a registered political party is a qualifying party in relation to an electoral area if the electoral area is in England or Wales and the party was at the relevant time registered in respect of that part of Great Britain in the Great Britain register maintained under that Part of that Act.”.
5. For rule 5(7) (subscription of nomination paper) substitute:
“7 In this rule “elector”—
(a) means a person who is registered in the register of local government electors for the electoral area in question on the last day for the publication of notice of the election; and
(b) includes a person then shown in the register as below voting age if (but only if) it appears from the register that he will be of voting age on the day fixed for the poll.”.
6. In rule 17(1)(a) (use of schools and public rooms)6omit “, a grant-maintained school”.
7. For rule 19 (postal ballot papers) substitute:
“19. The returning officer shall, in accordance with regulations made under the Representation of the People Act 1983, issue to those entitled to vote by post a postal ballot paper and a declaration of identity in the forms set out in the Appendix, or forms to the like effect, together with such envelopes for their return (whether free of charge or otherwise) as may be prescribed by such regulations.”.
8.—(1) Rule 23 (equipment of polling stations) is amended as follows.
(2) After paragraph (3) insert:
“3A The returning officer shall also provide each polling station with—
(a) at least one large version of the ballot paper which shall be displayed inside the polling station for the assistance of voters who are partially sighted; and
(b) a device of such description as is set out in paragraphs (6) to (11) below for enabling voters who are blind or partially sighted to vote without any need for assistance from the presiding officer or any companion (within the meaning of rule 33(1)).”.
(3) After paragraph (5) insert:
“6 The device referred to in paragraph (3A)(b) above must be capable of being attached firmly to a ballot paper and of being removed from it after use without damage to the paper.
7 On the right-hand side of the device there shall be tabs of equal size which satisfy the conditions in paragraphs (8) to (11) below.
8 The tabs shall be capable of being positioned on the ballot paper so that each one is above one of the spaces to the right of the particulars of the candidates on which the vote is to be marked (“the relevant space”).
9 Each tab shall be numbered so that, when the device is positioned over a ballot paper, the number of each tab corresponds to that of the candidate whose particulars are to the left of the relevant space covered by the tab in question.
10 Each number on the tab shall be in raised form so that it can be clearly identified by touch.
11 Each tab shall be capable of being lifted so as to reveal the relevant space and so that there is sufficient room to allow a voter to mark a cross on that space.”.
9. In rule 26(1)(e) (admission to polling station) for “blind voters” substitute “voters with disabilities”.
10. For rule 33 (voting by blind persons) substitute:
“Voting by persons with disabilities
33.—(1) If a voter makes an...
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