2. (2) In this Act the expression committee room does not include any house or room occupied by a candidate at an election as a dwelling, by reason solely of the candidate there transacting general business with his agents in relation to the election; nor shall any room or building be deemed to be a committee room for the purposes of this Act by reason only of the candidate or any agent of the group of candidates addressing therein electors, committee men, or others.
c. 19:08
2. (3) The official list of electors for any division shall be the preliminary list of the electors resident in that division, prepared before election day in pursuance of section 14 of the National Registration Act or last prepared in pursuance thereof before such day, as the case may be, but with every such modification as may be necessary to bring that list into conformity with the divisional register—
2. (3)(a) as altered under section 15(6) of the National Registration Act to give effect to claims and objections finally determined before the said election day;
2. (3)(b) pursuant to any alteration thereto made under section 8 of the National Registration Act, prior to compliance with section 34(2)(a)(iv) in respect of the said official list, for the purpose of changing the registered address of any elector’s residence within Guyana or the registered name or occupation of any elector; or
2. (3)(c) pursuant to the cancellation of any elector’s registration therein effected in contravention of section 11(1) of the National Registration Act, or relating to an elector who is dead, under section 8 of the National Registration Act,
and every reference made to the official list of electors in the provisions hereinafter contained shall, in relation to any time on or before election day, be construed as a reference to such preliminary list as aforesaid with such modifications thereto (if any) as, at that time, shall have been made in conformity with this subsection.
2. (4) In subsection (3) reference to a preliminary list is a reference to such list read in conjunction with any supplementary list prepared for a revision of that preliminary list pursuant to regulations made under the Act for the purpose of showing the aforementioned modifications.
Electoral system
[16 of 1968]
3. (1) An election shall be conducted by secret ballot in conformity with this Act.
3. (2) Throughout Guyana, votes shall be cast in favour of lists of candidates published in accordance with section 19.
Other functions of Commission.
[16 of 1968]
4. The Commission shall have, in addition to the functions assigned to it by the Constitution, such functions as are assigned to it by this Act and, in the execution of this Act, such authority of the Commission as is exercised in pursuance of the provisions of the Constitution shall be duly deferred to.
Extension of
time.
[16 of 1968
15 of 2000]
5. Where under this Act any act is required to be done not later than a specified number of days before election day, the Commission may by direction under its hand, if it deems it requisite or desirable so to do, extend the time allowed by reducing the number of days so specified; and the following provisions shall have effect in relation to that power —
5.(a) the power may be exercised either generally or specially;
5.(b) the power may be exercised so as to make valid anything already done after the expiration of the time allowed;
Polling districts
and divisions.
[16 of 1968
4 of 1972
O. 50/1980
O. 68/1980
15 of 2000]
c. 19:08
6. (1) Guyana shall be divided into polling districts, each of which shall consist of such polling divisions, and be distinguished by such names, as may be specified by order of the Commission:
Provided that no polling district shall extend across the boundary of any region.
6. (2) Subject to any orders made by the Commission under subsection (1), every registration division as constituted under section 5(2) of the National Registration Act shall be a polling division for the purposes of this Act.
6. (3) Subject to subsections (4) and (5), there shall be for each division such polling places as the returning officer of the district in which the division is situate, subject to the approval of the Chief Election Officer, may appoint; and each polling place shall bear such numerical or other designation as may be approved by the Chief Election Officer.
6. (4) Where the Chief Election Officer is satisfied that it is impracticable to appoint a polling place within a division or any part thereof, he may appoint some other place in another division within the same district as a polling place at which electors of the first mentioned division or that part thereof shall be entitled to vote.
6. (5) The Chief Election Officer shall publish in the Gazette not later than the 20th day before election day a notice of any polling place appointed under subsection (4).
Election Officer
and staff.
[30 of 1990]
7. There shall be—
7. (a) a Chief Election Officer;
7. (b) for each district a returning officer and an election clerk;
7. (c) for each polling place a presiding officer, a poll clerk and a counting assistant;
7. (d) such deputy returning officers, assistant presiding officers and other staff as may be necessary or desirable for the implementation of this Act.
Oaths.
Form 1
8. (1) Every election officer, before performing any of his functions under this Act, shall take and subscribe an oath in Form 1 before a Justice of the Peace or an election officer.
8. (2) Every Justice of the Peace and every election officer is authorised and empowered to administer any oath required by or under this Act:
Provided that no election officer shall administer an oath until he has himself taken the oath prescribed in pursuance of subsection (1).
8. (3) Forthwith upon taking the oath prescribed in pursuance of subsection (1), the returning officer of every district shall establish an office in his district and cause an advertisement to be inserted in a newspaper circulating in the district specifying the place at which he has established his office.
