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Uimhir 8 de 1942.
ACHT AN REIFRINN, 1942.
[An tionntódh oifigeamhail.]
[26adh Bealtaine, 1942.]
CUID I.
Reamhraiteach agus Generalta.
Gearr-theideal.
1.—Féadfar Acht an Reifrinn, 1942, do ghairm den Acht so.
Mínithe.
2.—San Acht so—
cialluíonn an abairt “an tAire” an tAire Riaghaltais Aiteamhail agus Sláinte Poiblidhe;
cialluíonn an abairt “reifreann bunreachta” reifreann i dtaobh togra chun an Bunreacht do leasú;
cialluíonn an focal “gnáth-reifreann” reifreann i dtaobh togra nach togra chun an Bunreacht do leasú;
nuair a húsáidtear an focal “reifreann” gan choinníoll, cialluíonn sé idir reifreann bunreachta agus gnáth-reifreann;
cialluíonn an focal “olltoghchán” olltoghchán do chomhaltaí de Dháil Éireann arna chomóradh de dhruim Dáil Éireann do scur;
cialluíonn an abairt “toghthóir Dála” duine atá i dteideal vótáil i dtoghchán Dála;
cialluíonn an abairt “toghchán Dála” toghchán do chomhalta no do chomhaltaí de Dháil Éireann;
cialluíonn rud do bheith “orduithe” é bheith orduithe le rialacháin arna ndéanamh ag an Aire fén Acht so.
Rialacháin.
3.—Féadfaidh an tAire rialacháin do dhéanamh ag ordú aon ní dá dtagartar san Acht so mar ní atá orduithe no le hordú.
Costais.
4.—Sa mhéid go gceadóidh an tAire Airgeadais é is as airgead arna sholáthar ag an Oireachtas a híocfar na costais féna raghaidh an tAire chun an tAcht so do riaradh.
Athghairm.
5.—Déantar leis seo na hachtacháin a luaidhtear sa Tríú Sceideal a ghabhann leis an Acht so d'athghairm sa mhéid a luaidhtear sa tríú colún den Sceideal san.
Ceann cóimhrimh an reifrinn.
6.—(1) Chó luath agus is féidir é tar éis dáta an Achta so do rith, agus o am go ham ina dhiaidh sin fé mar is gá, ceapfaidh an tAire duine ceart oiriúnach chun bheith ina cheann chóimhrimh reifrinn chun crícheanna an Achta so.
(2) Beidh sé de dhualgas ar cheann chóimhrimh an reifrinn an reifreann dá gceapfar é do stiúradh, toradh na vótaíochta ann do dhéanamh amach agus do dhearbhú do réir an Achta so, agus na nithe eile sin do dhéanamh maidir leis an reifreann san is gá dhó do réir an Achta so do dhéanamh.
(3) Muirearófar ar an bPrímh-Chiste no ar a thoradh fáis agus íocfar as an gcéanna le ceann cóimhrimh an reifrinn pé suimeanna cheadóidh an tAire Airgeadais i leith a sheirbhísí agus a chostaisí maidir le gach reifreann a stiúróidh.
Ráiteas o oifigigh chlárathachta i dtaobh na huimhreach de thoghthóirí Dála.
7.—(1) Chó luath agus is féidir é tar éis dáta an Achta so do rith, cuirfidh gach oifigeach clárathachta chun ceann cóimhrimh an reifrinn ráiteas sa bhfuirm orduithe i dtaobh na huimhreach de thoghthóirí Dála bheidh cláruithe sa chlár de thoghthóirí bheidh i bhfeidhm an uair sin i ngach dáilcheanntar no cuid de dháilcheanntar i líomatáiste clárathachta an oifigigh chlárathachta san.
(2) Pé uair, tar éis dáta an Achta so do rith, a thiocfaidh clár de thoghthóirí i bhfeidhm, cuirfidh gach oifigeach clárathachta chun ceann cóimhrimh an reifrinn láithreach ráiteas sa bhfuirm orduithe i dtaobh na huimhreach de thoghthóirí Dála bheidh cláruithe sa chlár de thoghthóirí i ngach dáilcheanntar no cuid de dháilcheanntar i líomatáiste clárathachta an oifigigh chlárathachta san.
(3) Pé uair a thárlóidh an uimhir de thoghthóirí Dála, is abhar do ráiteas a bheidh curtha ag oifigeach clárathachta chun ceann cóimhrimh an reifrinn de bhun an ailt seo, d'athrú tré bhreith ar athchomhairc no tré earráidí do cheartú no ar chúis ar bith eile déanfaidh an t-oifigeach clárathachta san an t-athrú san agus na sonnraí ina thaobh do thuairisciú láithreach do cheann chóimhrimh an reifrinn.
CUID II.
An Votaiocht i Reifreann.
An lá vótaíochta i reifreann bunreachta.
8.—(1) Aon uair a bheidh bille ina mbeidh togra chun an bunreacht do leasú rithte no is tuigthe bille den tsórt san do bheith rithte ag dhá Thigh an Oireachtais is dleathach go gceapfadh an tAire le hordú an lá (dá ngairmtear an lá vótaíochta freisin san Acht so) a déanfar an vótaíocht sa reifreann i dtaobh an togra san.
(2) Ní cead an lá vótaíochta ceapfar le hordú a dhéanfaidh an tAire fén alt so do bheith níos túisce na tríocha lá ná níos déanaighe ná nócha lá tar éis dáta an orduithe sin.
(3) Gach ordú déanfaidh an tAire fén alt so foillseofar san Iris Oifigiúil é chó luath agus is féidir tar éis a dhéanta.
Comhacht chun an t-aon lá vótaíochta amháin do cheapadh le haghaidh olltoghcháin agus reifrinn bhunreachta.
9.—(1) Aon uair a bheidh bille ina mbeidh togra chun an bunreacht do leasú rithte no is tuigthe bille den tsórt san do bheith rithte ag dhá Thigh an Oireachtais agus a scuirfear Dáil Éireann sara mbeidh an t-ordú ag ceapadh an lae vótaíochta sa reifreann i dtaobh an togra san déanta ag an Aire fén alt deiridh sin roimhe seo féadfaidh an tAire, más oiriúnach leis é, (d'ainneoin éinní atá san alt deiridh sin roimhe seo) an lá vótaíochta san olltoghchán a thárlóidh de dhruim Dáil Éireann do scur amhlaidh do cheapadh lena ordú fén alt san chun bheith ina lá vótaíochta sa reifreann san.
(2) Aon uair a bheidh bille ina mbeidh togra chun an bunreacht do leasú rithte no is tuigthe bille den tsórt san do bheith rithte ag dhá Thigh an Oireachtais agus a scuirfear Dáil Éireann tar éis don Aire a ordú (dá ngairmtear an t-ordú bunaidh sa bhfo-alt so) do dhéanamh fén alt deiridh sin roimhe seo maidir leis an reifreann i dtaobh an togra san agus roimh an lá vótaíochta bheidh ceaptha leis an ordú san, féadfaidh an tAire, más oiriúnach leis é, an t-ordú bunaidh do leasú le hordú tríd an lá is lá vótaíochta san olltoghchán a thárlóidh de dhruim Dáil Éireann do scur amhlaidh do chur in ionad an lae bheidh ainmnithe san ordú bunaidh mar lá vótaíochta sa reifreann san.
An lá vótaíochta i ngnáthreifreann.
10.—(1) Aon uair—
(a) a chuirfidh an tUachtarán in úil don Taoiseach do réir Airteagail 27 den Bhunreacht gurb é a bhreith go bhfuil i mbille lena mbaineann an tAirteagal san togra ina bhfuil an oiread sin tábhacht náisiúnta gur cóir breith an phobail d'fháil air, agus
(b) a chinnfidh an Riaghaltas go dtógfar reifreann chun breith an phobail d'fháil ar an togra san,
déanfaidh an tAire, fé cheann seachtaine tar éis an Riaghaltas dá chinneadh amhlaidh, an lá (dá ngairmtear an lá vótaíochta freisin san Acht so) a déanfar an vótaíocht sa reifreann san do cheapadh le hordú.
(2) Ní cead an lá vótaíochta ceapfar le hordú a dhéanfaidh an tAire fén alt so do bheith níos túisce ná tríocha lá ná níos déanaighe ná nócha lá tar éis dáta an orduithe sin.
(3) Aon uair a chinnfidh an Riagnaltas go dtógfar gnáthreifreann, cuirfidh an Riaghaltas fé ndeár fógra i dtaobh iad dá chinneadh amhlaidh d'fhoillsiú san Iris Oifigiúil, agus air sin beidh an foillsiú san ina fhianaise dho-chlaoite ar an gcinneadh sin.
(4) Gach ordú dhéanfaidh an tAire fén alt so foillseofar san Iris Oifigiúil é chó luath agus is féidir tar éis a dhéanta.
Modh déanta na vótaíochta i reifreann.
11.—Beidh éifeacht ag na forálacha so leanas maidir leis an vótaíocht do dhéanamh i reifreann, sé sin le rá:—
(a) lasmuich de chás dá bhforáltar a mhalairt leis an Acht so, ní bheidh an vótaíocht ann ach aon lá amháin agus is ar an lá céanna a bheidh sí ann ar fuaid an Stáit agus isé lá é sin ná an lá ceapfar le hordú ón Aire fén Acht so chun bheith ina lá vótaíochta sa reifreann san;
(b) tosnóidh an vótaíocht ar a naoi a chlog ar maidin agus coimeádfar ar siúl í go dtí a naoi a chlog istoíche agus ní níos sia ná san;
(c) chun an vótaíocht do dhéanamh tuigfear na dáilcheanntair chéanna do bheith déanta den Stát a bheidh déanta dhe de thurus na huaire chun comhaltaí de Dháil Éireann do thogha agus déanfar an vótaíocht ar leithligh i ngach dáilcheanntar fé leith aca san;
(d) isé an té bheadh ina cheann chóimhrimh i dtoghchán Dála in aon dáilcheanntar aca san a bheidh ina cheann chóimhrimh (dá ngairmtear an ceann cóimhrimh áitiúil san Acht so) sa dáilcheanntar san chun críche na vótaíochta agus, más clárathóir contae an duine sin, beidh feidhm agus éifeacht ag fo-alt (7) d'alt 40 den Acht Oifigigh Cúirte, 1926 (Uimh. 27 de 1926);
(e) déanfaidh gach vótálaidhe sa vótaíocht a vóta do chaitheamh sa dáilcheanntar ina mbeadh i dteideal vótáil in olltoghchán do chomhaltaí de Dháil Éireann;
(f) tuigfear, chun críche na vótaíochta, na ceanntair chéanna vótaíochta do bheith déanta de gach dáilcheanntar fé leith aca san a bheidh déanta dhe de thurus na huaire chun críche toghcháin Dála, agus na háiteanna bheidh ceaptha de thurus na huaire ina n-áiteanna vótaíochta i ngach ceanntar vótaíochta fé leith aca san chun críche toghcháin Dála isiad a bheidh ina n-áiteanna vótaíochta chun an vótaíocht do dhéanamh;
(g) beidh de dhualgas ar gach ceann cóimhrimh áitiúil déanamh na vótaíochta ina dháilcheanntar do stiúradh do réir an Achta so agus, chuige sin, pé stáisiúin vótaíochta, boscaí ballóide, páipéirí ballóide, ionstruimí stampála, cóipeanna den rolla de thoghthóirí, agus nithe eile do chur ar fáil agus pé oifigigh do cheapadh agus d'íoc agus pé gníomhartha agus nithe eile do dhéanamh is gá chun an vótaíocht do dhéanamh go héifeachtúil ina dháilcheanntar do réir an Achta so;
(h) cólíonfaidh gach ceann cóimhrimh áitiúil, maidir le déanamh na vótaíochta ina dháilcheanntar, forálacha an Achta so agus na rialacha atá sa Chéad Sceideal a ghabhann leis an Acht so agus na horduithe dhéanfaidh agus na treoracha do bhéarfaidh an tAire fén Acht so.
Costais na gceann cóimhrimh áitiúla.
12.—(1) Beidh gach duine is ceann cóimhrimh áitiúil maidir le déanamh na vótaíochta i reifreann i dteideal a chuid éilithe réasúnach, ach ní bheid san níos mó ná na suimeanna bheidh luaidhte sa scála d'éilithe maximum a hullmhófar fén alt so, alos seirbhísí agus costaisí de na saghsanna uile agus fé seach a bheidh luaidhte sa scála san, a dhéanfaidh no féna raghaidh le ceart chun no i dtaobh an vótaíocht san do dhéanamh.
(2) Déanfaidh an tAire Airgeadais suim na n-éilithe luaidhtear sa bhfo-alt san roimhe seo den alt so a bheidh á éileamh ag ceann cóimhrimh áitiúil d'íoc as an bPrímh-Chiste no as a thoradh fáis, ar fháil chuntais dó bheidh le cur féna bhráid ag an gceann cóimhrimh sin do réir rialachán a dhéanfaidh an tAire sin fén alt so, ach sara n-íocaidh éilithe aon chinn chóimhrimh áitiúil áirithe féadfaidh an tAire sin, más oiriúnach leis é, a iarraidh ar bhreitheamh den Chúirt Chuarda go ndlighinse i ndáilcheanntar an chinn chóimhrimh sin go measfaí an cuntas san agus leis sin cuirfidh an breitheamh san fé ndeár go ndéanfaidh an clárathóir contae an cuntas san do mheas agus an tsuim is iníoctha fé do chinneadh.
(3) Arna iarraidh sin air do cheann chóimhrimh áitiúil féadfaidh an tAire Airgeadais, más oiriúnach leis é, réimh-íoc do dhéanamh leis an gceann cóimhrimh sin, ar pé téarmaí is dóich leis an Aire sin is ceart, ar cuntas na n-éilithe is iníoctha fén alt so leis an gceann cóimhrimh sin.
(4) Má orduíonn an breitheamh amhlaidh ar iarratas cinn chóimhrimh áitiúil beidh ina chuid den mheas, a déanfar fén alt so ar chuntas an chinn chóimhrimh sin, meas agus cinneadh méide aon éilimh a dhéanfaidh éinne i gcoinnibh an chinn chóimhrimh sin alos éinní a mbeidh éileamh ina thaobh sa chuntas san.
(5) Déanfaidh an tAire Airgeadais scála d'éilithe maximum d'ordú chun crícheanna an ailt seo agus féadfaidh an scála san d'athscrúdú fé mar agus nuair is oiriúnach leis é agus féadfaidh fós rialacháin do dhéanamh i dtaobh an ama agus na slí agus na fuirme ina dtabharfaidh cinn chóimhrimh áitiúla cuntais dó chun go n-íocfaí na héilithe sin.
Srian maidir le daoine bheidh i dteideal vótáil sa vótaíocht.
13.—(1) Ní bheidh éinne i dteideal vótáil in aon dáilcheanntar sa vótaíocht i reifreann mara mbeidh sé cláruithe ina thoghthóir Dála sa rolla de thoghthóirí bheidh i bhfeidhm de thurus na huaire don dáilcheanntar san.
(2) Ní bheidh éinne ná beidh bliain is fiche slán aige i dteideal vótáil sa vótaíocht i reifreann.
(3) Ní bheidh éinne i dteideal vótáil níos mó ná uair amháin (pé aca san aon dáilcheanntar amháin é no i ndáilcheanntair éagsúla) sa vótaíocht i reifreann ach, fé réir na teorann san, beidh gach duine bheidh cláruithe ina thoghthóir Dála, sa rolla de thoghthóirí bheidh i bhfeidhm de thurus na huaire d'aon dáilcheanntar áirithe, i dteideal (lasmuich de chás dá bhforáltar a mhalairt leis an alt so) páipéar ballóide d'éileamh agus d'fháil agus vótáil sa dáilcheanntar san sa vótaíocht san.
(4) Einne a mbeidh toirmeasctha air le dlí de thurus na huaire vótáil i dtoghchán Dála ní bheidh sé i dteideal páipéar ballóide d'fháil ná vótáil sa vótaíocht i reifreann, agus gach éinne vótálfaidh in aon vótaíocht den tsórt san agus an toirmeasc san air dlighfear na pionóis sin do chur air a dlighfí a chur air dá vótáladh sé i dtoghchán Dála.
Na páipéirí ballóide.
14.—(1) Is le ballóid do bhéarfar na vótaí sa vótaíocht i reifreann agus isé bheidh i mballóid gach vótálaidhe ná páipéar (dá ngairmtear páipéar ballóide san Acht so).
(2) Beidh ar gach páipéar ballóide uimhir a bheidh clóbhuailte ar a chúl agus beidh có-dhuille, agus an uimhir chéanna clóbhuailte ar a haghaidh, ceangailte dhe agus beidh sé infhillte.
(3) Le linn a thabhartha amach marcálfar gach páipéar ballóide ar a dhá thaobh le marc oifigiúil a stampálfar air no a pollfar tríd.
(4) Beidh ceann cóimhrimh an reifrinn freagarthach i leorchaindíocht de pháipéirí ballóide do chlóbhualadh agus d'fháil agus beidh de dhualgas air an uímhir sin de pháipéirí ballóide a theastóidh o gach ceann cóimhrimh áitiúil fé leith do réir réasúin do thabhairt don cheann chóimhrimh áitiúil sin.
Fuirm pháipéirí ballóide.
15.—(1) Is sa bhfuirm is iomchuibhe de na fuirmeacha atá leagtha amach sa Dara Sceideal a ghabhann leis an Acht so bheidh gach páipéar ballóide i reifreann.
(2) Má bhíonn an t-aon lá amháin ina lá vótaíochta i dhá reifreann no níos mó, ansan (lasmuich de chás dá bhforáltar a mhalairt leis an gcéad fho-alt eile den alt so) ní tabharfar amach páipéirí ballóide ar leithligh le haghaidh na reifreann san ach, ina ionad san, beidh gach páipéar ballóide sna reifrinn sin leagtha amach i slí a chuirfidh ar chumas an vótálaidhe vóta ar leithligh do chaitheamh air alos gach reifrinn fé leith aca san.
(3) Má bhíonn an t-aon lá amháin ina lá vótaíochta i dhá reifreann no níos mó agus gur dóich leis an Aire nach féidir no nach oiriúnach, ar chúis ar bith, déanamh do réir an fho-ailt deiridh sin roimhe seo den alt so maidir leis na reifrinn sin, beidh feidhm agus éifeacht ag na forálacha so leanas, sé sin le rá:—
(a) féadfaidh an tAire a ordú go dtabharfar páipéirí ballóide ar leithligh amach le haghaidh ceann amháin no níos mó no le haghaidh gach ceann de na reifrinn sin;
(b) i gcás an tAire do thabhairt orduithe den tsaghas a húdaruítear leis an mír sin roimhe seo den fho-alt so, déanfar, d'ainneoin éinní atá sa bhfo-alt deiridh sin roimhe seo, páipéirí ballóide ar leithligh do thabhairt amach do réir an orduithe sin;
(c) i gcás an tAire do thabhairt orduithe den tsaghas san adubhradh agus gan an t-ordú san do bhaint leis na reifrinn sin uile, ansan, mara mbeidh ach ceann amháin de na reifrinn sin gan an t-ordú san do bhaint leis, bhéarfar páipéirí ballóide ar leithligh amach le haghaidh an ceann san de na reifrinn sin, agus, má bhíonn dhá cheann no níos mó de na reifrinn sin gan an t-ordú san do bhaint leo, beidh feidhm agus éifeacht ag an bhfo-alt deiridh sin roimhe seo maidir leis an dá cheann san no níos mó de na reifrinn sin.
(4) Beidh i ngach páipéar ballóide alos aon reifrinn amháin ráiteas ina luadhfar an togra is abhar don reifreann san, agus beidh i ngach páipéar ballóide alos dhá reifreann no níos mó arb é an t-aon lá amháin is lá vótaíochta dhóibh ráiteas ina luadhfar, maidir le gach reifreann fé leith aca san, an togra is abhar don reifreann san.
(5) Déanfar i reifreann bunreachta an togra is abhar dó do luadh sa pháipéar bhallóide sna téarmaí céanna, chó fada agus is féidir é, ina mbeidh an togra san luaidhte sa bhille ina mbeidh an togra san agus a bheidh rithte no is tuigthe do bheith rithte ag dhá Thigh an Oireachtais.
(6) Déanfar i ngnáth-reifreann an togra is abhar dó do luadh sa pháipéar bhallóide sna téarmaí céanna, chó fada agus is féidir é, ina mbeidh an togra san luaidhte sa scríbhinn fé láimh agus séala an Uachtaráin a bheidh curtha aige sin go dtí an Taoiseach
Modh marcála vóta ar pháipéar bhallóide.
16.—(1) Déanfaidh gach vótálaidhe sa vótaíocht i reifreann a vóta do chaitheamh tréna pháipéar ballóide do mharcáil do réir na dtreoracha i dtaobh marcála a bheidh clóbhuailte ar an bpáipéar ballóide.
(2) Aon pháipéar ballóide—
(a) ná beidh an marc oifigiúil air, no
(b) ná beidh vóta ar bith curtha air in aon chor, no
(c) ná beidh an vóta curtha air i slí a thaisbeánfaidh go n-aontuíonn no ná haontuíonn an vótálaidhe leis an togra is abhar don reifreann san, no
(d) ar a mbeidh vótaí tugtha i bhfábhar agus i gcoinnibh an togra san, no
(e) ar a mbeidh éinní trénar féidir an vótálaidhe d'aithint (ach amháin an uimhir is gá do réir dlí do bheith clóbhuailte ar chúl an pháipéir bhallóide) scríobhtha no marcálta,
beidh sé nea-mbailidhe agus ní cóimhreofar é.
(3) I gcás gan páipéar ballóide do bheith nea-mbailidhe fé aon cheann no cinn d'fhorálacha an fho-ailt deiridh sin roimhe seo den alt so, ní bheidh an páipéar ballóide sin nea-mbailidhe de thoisc amháin gan é bheith do réir na dtreoracha i dtaobh marcála bheidh clóbhuailte air, agus go sonnrach ní bheidh sé nea-mbailidhe toisc gan an marc “x” d'úsáid chun an páipéar san do mharcáil, má bhíonn an páipéar san marcálta i slí a thaisbéanfaidh go réasúnta cinnte cadé toil an vótálaidhe.
(4) I gcás páipéar ballóide do bhaint le dhá reifreann no níos mó agus vóta do bheith curtha air i gceart maidir le ceann amháin no níos mó de na reifrinn sin ach ní maidir leo uile, beidh an páipéar ballóide sin, maran nea-mbailidhe dhó dá éamuis sin, bailidhe chun crícheanna an reifrinn no na reifreann a mbeidh vóta curtha i gceart air ina leith agus nea-mbailidhe agus neamhionchóimhrithe chun crícheanna an reifrinn no na reifreann ná beidh vóta curtha i gceart air, no a mbeidh sé curtha go mícheart air, ina leith.
Gníomhairí pearsanála.
17.—(1) Féadfaidh comhalta ar bith de Dháil Éireann no de Sheanad Éireann duine (dá ngairmtear gníomhaire pearsanála san Acht so) do cheapadh chun bheith i láthair i stáisiún vótaíochta áirithe i reifreann chun cabhruithe chun daoine do bhrath a bheidh ag déanamh cionta na pearsanála no ag tabhairt fé n-a dhéanamh.
(2) Féadfaidh comhalta de Dháil Éireann no de Sheanad Éireann gníomhairí pearsanála do cheapadh fén alt so, maidir le reifreann ar bith, don oiread stáisiún vótaíochta agus is oiriúnach leis, ach ní cheapfaidh aon chomhalta áirithe de Dháil Éireann no de Sheanad Éireann níos mó ná aon ghníomhaire pearsanála amháin d'aon stáisiún vótaíochta áirithe.
(3) Comhalta de Dháil Éireann no de Sheanad Éireann a cheapfaidh gníomhaire pearsanála fén alt so do stáisiún vótaíochta bhéarfaidh i scríbhinn don cheann chóimhrimh áitiúil sa dáilcheanntar ina mbeidh an stáisiún vótaíochta san, ocht n-uaire is dachad a' chluig ar a laghad roimh thosach na vótaíochta, ainm an ghníomhaire phearsanála san agus fós ainm no tuairisc an stáisiúin vótaíochta dá mbeidh sé ceaptha.
(4) Gach gníomhaire pearsanála ceapfar go cuibhe fén alt so agus a dtabharfar fógra go cuibhe do réir an fho-ailt deiridh sin roimhe seo den alt so i dtaobh a cheaptha, beidh sé i dteideal bheith sa stáisiún vótaíochta dá gceapfar é faid a bheidh an vótaíocht ar siúl agus ar feadh leath-uair a' chluig roimhe sin agus go ceann leath-uair a' chluig ina dhiaidh sin.
(5) Faid a bheidh an vótaíocht ar siúl ní dhéanfaidh aon ghníomhaire pearsanála an stáisiún vótaíochta dá mbeidh sé ceaptha d'fhágaint gan cead d'fháil ar dtúis ón oifigeach ceannais ná gan gach rolla, leabhar, agus scríbhinn ina mbeidh aon nóta, scríbhneoireacht, no marc déanta aige le linn na vótaíochta d'fhágaint ag an oifigeach ceannais faid a bheidh sé as láthair.
(6) Aon ghníomhaire pearsanála fhágfaidh stáisiún vótaíochta contrárdha don alt so ní leigfear dó filleadh chun an stáisiúin vótaíochta san go dtí go mbeidh deireadh leis an vótaíocht agus fós beidh sé ciontach i gcionta fén alt so agus ar a chiontú ann ar an slí achmair dlighfear fíneáil ná raghaidh thar cúig púint fhichead do chur air no, más rogha leis an gCúirt é, príosúntacht ar feadh téarma nach sia ná trí mhí.
(7) I gcás an lá vótaíochta i reifreann bunreachta do bheith ina lá vótaíochta in olltoghchán freisin, beidh feidhm agus éifeacht ag na forálacha so leanas, sé sin le rá:—
(a) beidh na comhachta do bheirtear leis na forálacha san roimhe seo den alt so do chomhalta de Dháil Éireann infheidhmithe ag duine ar bith a bhí ina chomhalta de Dáil Éireann díreach roimh an scur ba shiocair leis an olltoghchán san, agus
(b) gach duine ceapfar fé alt 22 den Acht chun Droch-Bhearta Toghacháin do Chosc, 1923 (Uimh. 38 de 1923), chun bheith ina ghníomhaire phearsanála chun crícheanna an olltoghcháin sin i stáisiún vótaíochta i ndáilcheanntar ina dtógfar vótaíocht san olltoghchán san is tuigthe é cheapadh fén alt so chun bheith ina ghníomhaire phearsanála sa stáisiún vótaíochta san chun crícheanna an reifrinn sin, agus bainfidh na forálacha san roimhe seo den alt so leis dá réir sin.
Oifigigh cheannais do cheapadh.
18.—(1) Ceapfaidh gach ceann cóimhrimh áitiúil i reifreann, alos gach stáisiúin vótaíochta fé leith ina dháilcheanntar duine ceart oiriúnach chun bheith ina oifigeach cheannais sa stáisiún vótaíochta san.
(2) Gach oifigeach ceannais a ceapfar fén alt so beidh aige ina stáisiún vótaíochta gach comhacht agus dualgas a bronntar no a forchuirtear leis an Acht so ar oifigeach cheannais.
Ordúlacht do choimeád i stáisúin vótaíochta.
19.—Má thárlann, ag an vótaíocht i reifreann, go mbeidh éinne mí-iompartha i stáisiún vótaíochta no gan géilleadh d'orduithe dleathacha an oifigigh cheannais, ansan, le hordú ón oifigeach ceannais, féadfaidh aon bhall den Ghárda Síochána no éinne go n-údarás aige chuige sin i scríbhinn ón oifigeach ceannais é chur amach as an stáisiún vótaíochta san láithreach, agus an duine cuirfear amach amhlaidh ní leigfear dó dul isteach arís sa stáisiún vótaíochta san le linn na vótaíochta ach amháin le cead an oifigigh cheannais.
Post-vótálaithe.
20.—(1) Gach duine a mbeidh a ainm ar an liost de phostvótálaithe do dháilcheanntar le linn vótaíochta i reifreann, beidh sé i dteideal vótáil sa dáilcheanntar san sa vótaíocht sa reifreann san tréna pháipéar ballóide de chur leis an bpost go dtí an ceann cóimhrimh áitiúil don dáilcheanntar san agus ní bheidh sé i dteideal vótáil sa reifreann san ar aon tslí eile.
(2) Chó luath agus is féidir é tar éis dáta an orduithe ón Aire ag ceapadh an lae vótaíochta i reifreann, cuirfidh gach ceann cóimhrimh áitiúil páipéar ballóide agus dearbhú céannachta sa bhfuirm orduithe chun gach duine bheidh ar an liost de phostvótálaithe dá dháilcheanntar.
(3) Má déantar páipéar ballóide cuirfear chun duine ar bith fén bhfo-alt deiridh sin roimhe seo den alt so do chur thar n-ais go dtí an ceann cóimhrimh áitiúil agus é marcálta go cuibhe ag an duine sin maraon leis an dearbhú céannachta agus é sighnithe agus dílse-dheimhnithe go cuibhe, agus go bhfuighidh an ceann cóimhrimh sin é roimh chríochnú na vótaíochta, deighleálfaidh an ceann cóimhrimh sin leis an bpáipéar ballóide sin agus cóimhreoidh é fé is dá mba pháipéar ballóide é cuirfí sa bhosca bhallóide ar an ngnáth-shlí.
(4) Ag cur amach agus ag fáil páipéirí ballóide post-vótálaithe dhó agus ag deighleáil leo fairis sin coimeádfaidh agus cólíonfaidh gach ceann cóimhrimh áitiúil an dlí (sa mhéid ná beidh buiniscionn leis an Acht so) a bheidh ag déanamh rialála de thurus na huaire ar pháipéirí ballóide post-vótálaithe i dtoghchán Dála do chur amach agus d'fháil agus ar dheighleáil leo fairis sin.
Ceisteanna agus mionna ag an vótaíocht i reifreann.
21.—(1) Ní cuirfear aon cheist ná ní déanfar aon fhiafraighe ná ní ceadófar aon agóid le linn na vótaíochta i reifreann maidir le ceart duine ar bith chun vótála, ná ní dhéanfaidh ná ní ghlacfaidh aon oifigeach ceannais ag an vótaíocht san aon agóid i gcoinnibh cirt duine ar bith chun vótála ach féadfaidh an t-oifigeach ceannais agus, má héilítear san air ag gníomhaire pearsanála, déanfaidh na ceisteanna so leanas, no aon cheann no aon dá cheann aca, do chur chun duine ar bith le linn dó páipéar ballóide d'iarraidh, ach ní dá éis sin, eadhon:—
(i) An, éinne amháin tusa agus an duine a bhfuil an ainm A B air sa rolla de thoghthóirí atá i bhfeidhm
anois do dháilcheanntar ......................................
..........................................................................
(ii) Ar vótálais cheana sa reifreann so?
(iii) An bhfuil bliain agus fiche slán agat?
Agus mara bhfreagruítear pé ceist no ceisteanna aca san a cuirfear chun an duine sin, an chéad agus an tríú ceann aca le freagra aontach agus an dara ceann aca le freagra séantach, ní vótálfaidh an duine sin.
(2) Féadfaidh oifigeach ceannais ag an vótaíocht i reifreann agus, má héilítear san air ag gníomhaire pearsanála, déanfaidh, le linn duine ar bith d'iarraidh páipéir bhallóide ach ní dá éis sin, an duine sin do chur fé mhionn no (i gcás éinne chuirfidh i gcoinnibh mionn do thabhairt toisc gan aon chreideamh do bheith aige no toisc é bheith i gcoinnibh a chreidimh mionn do thabhairt) fé dhearbhú sa bhfuirm seo leanas:—
“Bheirim-se Dia na nUile-chomhacht (no Deinim-se, A B, a dheimhniú agus a dhearbhú go solamanta, go macánta, agus go fírinneach, do réir mar a bheidh) gurb éinne amháin mise agus an duine a bhfuil an ainm A B air ar an rolla de thoghthóirí atá i bhfeidhm anois do dháilcheanntar
................................................, agus nár vótálas cheana
sa reifreann so agus go bhfuil bliain agus fiche slán agam.”
(3) Ach amháin mar a luaidhtear san alt so, ní bheidh sé dleathach ag an vótaíocht i reifreann a éileamh ar dhuine ar bith aon mhionn ná dearbhú do thabhairt i dtaobh a chirt chun vótála ná i dtaobh éinní eile in aon chor.
(4) Ní bheidh sé dleathach diúltadh d'aon vóta tairgfear i reifreann ag éinne a mbeidh a ainm luaidhte mar thoghthóir Dála ar an rolla de thoghthóirí bheidh i bhfeidhm de thurus na huaire ach amháin de dhruim an t-oifigeach ceannais dá mheas, ar é do chur na gceisteanna réamhráite no aon cheiste no aon dá cheist aca, nach é an duine bheidh ag éileamh amhlaidh vótáil an duine a mbeidh a ainm ar an rolla san réamhráite no gur vótáil an duine sin cheana sa reifreann san, no gan bliain agus fiche do bheith slán ag an duine sin, no de dhruim an duine sin do dhiúltadh do na ceisteanna san, no d'aon cheann no d'aon dá cheann aca, do fhreagairt, no don mhionn san do thabhairt no don dearbhú san do dhéanamh.
(5) I gcás an t-aon lá amháin do bheith ina lá vótaíochta i dhá reifreann no níos mó, beidh éifeacht ag na forálacha so leanas, sé sin le rá:—
(a) sna ceisteanna agus sa mhionn a húdaruítear leis an alt so cuirfear na focail “in aon cheann de na reifrinn seo” in ionad na bhfocal “sa reifreann so”;
(b) is tuigthe duine iarrfaidh páipéar ballóide do thairgsint a vóta sna reifrinn sin uile;
(c) fé réir forálacha an Achta so i dtaobh vótálaidhe a mhilleann a pháipéar ballóide de neamh-aire, ní bheidh vótálaidhe gheobhaidh páipéar ballóide i dteideal páipéar ballóide eile d'fháil ar an scór nár thug sé vóta sa pháipéar bhallóide sin i dtaobh na reifreann san uile.
Sárú seicréideachta.
22.—(1) Déanfaidh gach oifigeach, cléireach agus duine dá mbeidh ar fostú no i láthair i stáisiún vótaíochta ag an vótaíocht i reifreann rún do choimeád, agus cabhrú chun rún do choimeád, ar an vótáil sa stáisiún san agus ní thabharfaidh, roimh chríochnú na vótaíochta, aon eolas do dhuine ar bith, ach amháin chun críche éigin a bheidh údaruithe le dlí, i dtaobh ainme aon vótálaidhe, ná i dtaobh uimhreach aon vótálaidhe ar an rolla de thoghthóirí, do rinne no ná dearna páipéar ballóide d'iarraidh no vótáil sa stáisiún san, ná i dtaobh an mhairc oifigiúil, agus ní dhéanfaidh aon oifigeach, cléireach ná duine den tsórt san, ná duine ar bith eile, cur isteach ná iarracht ar chur isteach ar vótálaidhe le linn é bheith ag marcáil a vóta, ná iarracht do thabhairt in aon tslí eile ar eolas d'fháil sa stáisiún vótaíochta i dtaobh an chuma ina bhfuil aon vótálaidhe sa stáisiún san ar tí no tar éis vótála ná ní thabharfaidh do dhuine ar bith aon uair aon eolas do gheobhar i stáisiún vótaíochta i dtaobh an chuma ina bhfuil aon vótálaidhe sa stáisiún san ar tí no tar éis vótála, ná i dtaobh na huimhreach ar chúl an pháipéir bhallóide tugadh d'aon vótálaidhe sa stáisiún san.
(2) Gach oifigeach, cléireach agus duine dá mbeidh ar fostú no i láthair le linn do cheann chóimhrimh áitiúil i reifreann na boscaí ballóide d'oscailt no na vótaí do chóimhreamh, coimeádfaidh rún agus cabhróidh chun rún do choimeád ar an vótáil, agus ní dhéanfaidh iarracht le linn na hoscailte ná an chóimhrimh sin ar an uimhir a bheidh ar chúl aon pháipéir bhallóide d'fháil amach, ná ar aon eolas do gheobhaidh le linn na hoscailte ná an chóimhrimh sin, i dtaobh an chuma inar tugadh aon vóta ar aon pháipéar bhallóide áirithe, do thabhairt uaidh.
(3) Gach oifigeach, cléireach agus duine a mbeidh baint aige le páipéirí ballóide do chur amach chun post-vótálaithe no le páipéirí ballóide d'fháil o phost-vótálaithe i reifreann no bheidh i láthair lena linn sin, coimeádfaidh rún agus cabhróidh chun rún do choimeád ar an vótáil a dhéanfaidh na vótálaithe sin agus ní thabhairfaidh, roimh chríochnú na vótaíochta, aon eolas do dhuine ar bith, ach amháin chun críche éigin a bheidh údaruithe le dlí, i dtaobh ainme aon phost-vótálaidhe ná i dtaobh uimhreach aon phost-vótálaidhe ar an rolla de thoghthóirí chun ar cuireadh no o n-a bhfuarthas aon pháipéar ballóide, ná i dtaobh an mhairc oifigiúil, agus ní dhéanfaidh aon oifigeach, cléireach ná duine den tsórt san, ná duine ar bith eile, cur isteach ná iarracht ar chur isteach ar aon phost-vótálaidhe i reifreann d'fháil no do mharcáil no d'ath-chasadh a pháipéir bhallóide, ná iarracht do thabhairt ar eolas d'fháil i dtaobh an chuma inar vótáil aon vótálaidhe den tsórt san ná ní thabharfaidh do dhuine ar bith aon uair aon eolas do gheobhfaidh, maidir le páipéirí ballóide do chur amach chun post-vótálaithe i reifreann no d'fháil uatha, i dtaobh an chuma inar vótáil aon vótálaidhe den tsórt san, ná i dtaobh na huimhreach ar chúl an pháipéir bhallóide do cuireadh chun aon vótálaidhe den tsórt san.
(4) Ní dhéanfaidh duine ar bith go díreach ná go nea-dhíreach aon vótálaidhe do thabhairt chun a pháipéar ballóide do thaisbeáint, tar éis a mharcála dhó, i dtreo go nochtfaí don duine sin no d'éinne eile an chuma inar mharcáil an vótálaidhe sin a vóta.
(5) Gach duine dhéanfaidh éinní, tré ghníomh no tré fhaillí. contrárdha d'aon cheann d'fhorálacha an ailt seo beidh sé ciontach i gcionta fén alt so agus, ar a chiontú ann ar an slí achmair, dlighfear príosúntacht ar feadh téarma nach sia ná sé mhí do chur air.
Imeachta i gcás círéibe le linn na vótaíochta.
23.—(1) Má déantar agus aon uair a déanfar, i reifreann, an vótaíocht in aon áit vótaíochta do chosc ar fad no do bhac, no cur isteach uirthi, le círéib no le fóirneart oscailte, no daoine do chosc le círéib no le fóirneart oscailte ar dhul go háit vótaíochta, déanfaidh an ceann cóimhrimh áitiúil sa dáilcheanntar ina mbeidh an áit vótaíochta san an vótaíocht san áit vótaíochta san do chur ar athló go dtí an chéad lá eile nach Domhnach, Aoine Chéasta, Lá Nodlag, ná lá saoire bainc agus, más gá é, cuirfidh an vótaíocht san ar athló arís go dtí go mbeidh deireadh leis an gcíréib no leis an bhfóirneart oscailte sin.
(2) Aon uair a cuirfear an vótaíocht in áit no in áiteanna vótaíochta i ndáilcheanntar i reifreann ar athló fén alt so ní dhéanfaidh an ceann cóimhrimh áitiúil sa dáilcheanntar san aon bhosca ballóide dar húsáideadh in aon áit vótaíochta sa dáilcheanntar san d'oscailt go dtí go mbeidh an vótaíocht i ngach áit den tsórt san críochnuithe.
Boscaí ballóide no páipéirí ballóide do dhíthiú, etc.
24.—Más rud é, le linn na vótaíochta i reifreann, go dtógfar aon bhoscaí ballóide no páipéirí ballóide as coimeád an chinn chóimrimh áitiúil no oifigigh cheannais no go mbainfear leo go mí-chóir in aon tslí no go ndítheofar iad de thionóisc no d'aon ghnó no (i gcás páipéirí ballóide) go stracfar no go n-agha-loitfear iad go mailíseach, beidh éifeacht ag na forálacha so leanas, sé sin le rá:—
(a) an vótaíocht i ngach áit vótaíochta inar húsáideadh aon bhosca ballóide no páipéar ballóide aca san beidh sí gan. bhrí;
(b) déanfaidh an ceann cóimhrimh áitiúil don dáilcheanntar inar húsáideadh na boscaí ballóide no na páipéirí ballóide sin a chur in úil láithreach don Aire an vótaíocht san do dhul gan bhrí amhlaidh;
(c) ar fháil an eolais dó déanfaidh an tAire láithreach gach ní agus bhéarfaidh gach ordú a mheasfaidh is ceart chun vótaíocht nua do dhéanamh i ngach áit vótaíochta den tsórt san;
(d) déanfar vótaíocht nua i ngach áit vótaíochta den tsórt san do réir na n-orduithe bhéarfaidh an tAire uaidh;
(e) bainfidh an tAcht so leis an vótaíocht nua san fé mar a bhaineann leis an mbun-vótaíocht.
Scoileanna agus foirgintí eile d'úsáid.
25.—(1) Chun an vótaíocht do dhéanamh i reifreann, féadfaidh ceann cóimhrimh áitiúil aon tseomra i scoil do gheibheann deontas as airgead a sholáthruíonn an tOireachtas, agus aon tseomra a mbíonn costas a chothabhála iníoctha as aon ráta áitiúil, d'úsáid gan íoc as agus, mara mbeidh aon tseomra den tsórt san ar fáil, féadfaidh foirgint no seomra do thógaint ar cíos.
(2) Aon uair úsáidfidh ceann cóimhrimh áitiúil seomra fén bhfo-alt san roimhe seo den alt so gan íoc as, féadfaidh aon chostais d'íoc féna raghaidh an duine, a mbeidh an seomra san ar a urláimh, de dhruim é d'úsáid amhlaidh agus íocfaidh as aon damáiste déanfar don tseomra san agus é á úsáid amhlaidh.
(3) Má dhéanann ceann cóimhrimh áitiúil seomra i bhfoirgint neashealbhuithe d'úsáid no do thógaint ar cíos fén alt so ní thiocfaidh de sin go ndlighfidh éinne é do rátú ná aon ráta d'íoc alos na foirginte sin.
(4) Duine bheidh i bhfeighil scoile bheidh buailte no in aice le heaglais no le coinbhint no le haon bhunachán eile creidimh no ina cuid d'aon cheann aca, féadfaidh, fé cheann ceithre huaire fichead a' chluig tar éis fógra d'fháil ón gceann cóimhrimh áitiúil á rá go bhfuil sé ar intinn an scoil sin no aon chuid di d'úsáid fén alt so, agóid a dhéanamh i gcoinnibh na húsáide sin tré ráiteas i scríbhinn ar an agóid sin do chur chun an chinn chóimhrimh sin, agus, air sin, ní dleathach don cheann chóimhrimh sin an scoil sin ná aon chuid di d'úsáid amhlaidh mara dtugaidh ná go dtí go dtabharfaidh an tAire breith in aghaidh na hagóide sin ar iarratas an chinn chóimhrimh sin.
Boscaí ballóide, etc., rialtais áitiúil d'úsáid.
26.—I gcás iomlán aon togh-líomatáiste rialtais áitiúil no aon chuid de do bheith in aon dáilcheanntar áirithe féadfar aon bhoscaí ballóide, aon fheistisí do stáisiúin vótaíochta agus aon eadranna, bheidh curtha ar fáil do thoghcháin rialtais áitiúil sa togh-líomatáiste sin, d'úsáid le haghaidh na vótaíochta i reifreann sa dáilcheanntar san, agus beidh de dhualgas ar an gceann cóimhrimh áitiúil in aon vótaíocht den tsórt san sa dáilcheanntar san na boscaí ballóide, na feistisí agus na headranna réamhráite d'úsáid sa mhéid gur féidir é, agus féachfaidh an chúirt d'fhorálacha an ailt seo le linn a chuntaisí do mheas, agus íocfar mar chuid de chostais an chinn chóimhrimh áitiúil sin aon damáiste seachas caitheamh réasúnta a déanfar d'aon bhoscaí ballóide, feistisí agus eadranna den tsórt san leis an úsáid sin in aon vótaíocht den tsórt san.
Toirmeasc ar vóta do nochtadh.
27.—Ní déanfar in aon imeacht dlí a cheangal ar éinne do vótáil i reifreann a rá conus do vótáil sé sa reifreann san.
Forálacha speisialta i gcás olltoghchán agus reifreann bunreachta do chomóradh ar an aon lá vótaíochta amháin.
28.—Aon uair a bheidh an lá vótaíochta i reifreann bunreachta ina lá vótaíochta in olltoghchán freisin beidh feidhm agus éifeacht ag na forálacha so leanas (d'ainneoin éinní contrárdha dhó san atá san Acht so) i ngach dáilcheanntar ina dtógfar vótaíocht san olltoghchán san, sé sin le rá:—
(a) is san am chéanna, sna háiteanna céanna sa tslí chéanna agus ag na daoine céanna tógfar an votaíocht san reifreann san agus san olltoghchán san;
(b) úsáidfear an marc oifigiúil céanna i gcóir na bpáipéirí ballóide sa reifreann san a húsáidfear i gcóir na bpáipéirí ballóide san olltoghchán san;
(c) ní bheidh na páipéirí ballóide san olltoghchán san ar aon-dath leis na páipéirí ballóide sa reifreann san, agus chuige sin is tuigthe gur dath an bán;
(d) sínfear an páipéar ballóide i gcóir an reifrinn sin chun gach vótálaidhe no, i gcás vótálaithe ar liost na bpostvótálaithe, cuirfear chun gach vótálaidhe é an tráth céanna a déanfar an páipéar ballóide i gcóir an olltoghcháin sin do shíneadh no do chur chuige;
(e) féadfaidh an ceann cóimhrimh, más ceart san dar leis, boscaí ballóide ar leithligh do sholáthar le haghaidh na bpáipéirí ballóide i gcóir an reifrinn sin agus le haghaidh na bpáipéirí ballóide i gcóir an olltoghcháin sin;
(f) má déantar boscaí ballóide ar leithligh den tsórt san do sholáthar amhlaidh, ní bheidh páipéar ballóide i gcóir an reifrinn sin nea-mbailidhe de thoisc amháin é chur isteach i mbosca ballóide do soláthruíodh le haghaidh páipéirí ballóide i gcóir an olltoghcháin sin, agus ní bheidh páipéar ballóide i gcóir an olltoghcháin sin neambailidhe de thoisc amháin é chur isteach i mbosca ballóide do soláthruíodh le haghaidh páipéirí ballóide i gcóir an reifrinn sin;
(g) mara ndéantar boscaí ballóide ar leithligh den tsórt san do sholáthar amhlaidh, cuirfear na páipéirí ballóide i gcóir an reifrinn sin agus na páipéirí ballóide i gcóir an olltoghcháin sin isteach sna boscaí ballóide céanna.
Feidhm an Achta chun Droch-Bhearta Toghacháin do Chosc, 1923.
29.—(1) Beidh feidhm agus éifeacht ag na páirteanna so leanas den Acht chun Droch-Bhearta Toghacháin do Chosc, 1923 (Uimh. 38 de 1923), maidir le gach reifreann, sé sin le rá:—
(a) Cuid I, ach amháin alt 7;
(b) i gCuid II, ailt 9, 10, 13 agus 15;
(c) i gCuid III, ailt 25 agus 26;
(d) i gCuid VIII, ailt 44, 45, 46, 49, 52, 53 agus 56.
(2) Chun críche na feidhme bheidh ag na páirteanna san den Acht chun Droch-Bhearta Toghacháin do Chosc, 1923 (Uimh. 38 de 1923), maidir le reifreann de bhun an fho-ailt sin roimhe seo den alt so—
(a) léireofar an focal “toghchán” agus beidh éifeacht aige, i ngach áit ina n-úsáidtear é gan choinníoll sna páirteanna san den Acht san, mar fhocal fholuíonn reifreann;
(b) léireofar an abairt “Dáil-toghchán” agus an abairt “Dáil-toghchán no Seanad-toghchán” agus beidh éifeacht aca i ngach áit ina bhfuilid fé seach sna páirteanna san den Acht san mar abairtí fholuíonn reifreann;
(c) ní tabharfar áird ar aon tagairt atá sna páirteanna san den Acht san d'iarrthóirí;
(d) ní tabharfar áird ar na focail “éinne áirithe do thogha chun fónamh san Oireachtas, no chun” i bhfo-alt (2) d'alt 2 den Acht san, ná ar na focail “togha éinne áirithe chun fónamh san Oireachtas do chur in áirithe no” i bhfo-alt (3) den alt san;
(e) cuirfear i bhfo-alt (3) d'alt 10 den Acht san an cheist “Ar vótálais cheana sa reifreann so?” in ionad na ceiste luaidhtear sa bhfo-alt san;
(f) déanfar an abairt “gníomhaire pearsanála” do léiriú, in ailt 25 agus 26 den Acht san, mar abairt a chialluíonn gníomhaire pearsanála arna cheapadh fén Acht so;
(g) léireofar an abairt “ceann cóimhrimh” agus beidh éifeacht aici in alt 46 den Acht san mar abairt fholuíonn ceann cóimhrimh an reifrinn agus ceann cóimhrimh áitiúil;
(h) déanfar na focail “imeachta ar siúl i láthair cúirte toghcháin” do léiriú, in alt 52 den Acht san, mar fhocail a chialluíonn triail achuinge reifrinn i láthair na hArd-Chúirte, agus léireofar na focail “tuairisc na cúirte sin” mar fhocail a chialluíonn ordú deiridh na hArd-Chúirte ar an triail sin.
(3) Beidh i ngach liost de chleachtanna cuirpthe agus neadhleathacha a hullmhófar de bhun ailt 43 den Acht chun Droch-Bhearta Toghacháin do Chosc, 1923 (Uimh. 38 de 1923), ainm agus tuairisc gach duine bheidh ciontuithe ag cúirt ar bith i gcleacht cuirpthe no nea-dhleathach do réir bhrí an Achta san i reifreann.
An deimhniú reifrinn sealadach.
30.—(1) Chó luath agus is féidir é tar éis críochnú na vótaíochta i reifreann in aon dáilcheanntar áirithe, déanfaidh an ceann cóimhrimh áitiúil don dáilcheanntar san, do réir na Rialacha atá sa Chéad Sceideal a ghabhann leis an Acht so, na vótaí bheidh tugtha ina dháilcheanntar do chóimhreamh agus toradh an chóimhrimh sin do thuairisciú do cheann chóimhrimh an reifrinn.
(2) Nuair a bheidh an tuairisc faighte ag ceann cóimhrimh an reifrinn o gach ceann cóimhrimh áitiúil ar thoradh chóimhreamh na vótaí bheidh tugtha ina dháilcheanntar ag an vótaíocht i reifreann, déanfaidh ceann cóimhrimh an reifrinn deimhniú (dá ngairmtear an deimhniú reifrinn sealadach san Acht so), ina luadhfar sonnraí na vótaíochta sa reifreann san agus toradh an chéanna, d'ullmhú agus do shighniú agus d'fhoillsiú do réir na Rialacha atá sa Chéad Sceideal a ghabhann leis an Acht so.
(3) Aon uair a chuirfidh Máistir na hArd-Chúirte in úil i scríbhinn do cheann chóimhrimh an reifrinn maidir le deimhniú reifrinn sealadach ná dearnadh aon achuinge reifrinn i dtaobh an deimhnithe sin do thíolacadh laistigh den am a ceaptar leis an Acht so no go bhfuil gach achuinge reifrinn do tíolacadh i dtaobh an reifrinn sin tagtha chun bheith gan bhrí gan éifeacht, tiocfaidh an deimhniú reifrinn sealadach san (lasmuich de chás dá bhforáltar a mhalairt leis an Acht so) chun bheith agus beidh ina dheimhniú dheiridh agus ní bheidh sé ionchonspóidthe in aon chúirt agus beidh ina fhianaise dho-chlaoite ar an vótáil sa reifreann lena mbainfidh an deimhniú san agus ar thoradh an reifrinn sin.
Oifigigh do phionósú bheidh ciontach i mór-fhaillí.
31.—Aon cheann cóimhrimh áitiúil, oifigeach ceannais, cléireach no duine eile ar a mbeidh dualgais maidir le seoladh reifrinn in aon dáilcheanntar agus a dhéanfaidh aon mhí-ghníomhas toiliúil no mór-fhaillitheach no aon ghníomh no maineachtain mhórfhaillitheach contrárdha don Acht so, beidh sé ciontach i gcionta fén alt so agus ar a chiontú ann ar an slí achmair dlighfear fíneáil ná raghaidh thar céad punt do chur air.
An tAire do thabhairt treoracha amach.
32.—(1) Féadfaidh an tAire, aon uair a mheasfaidh gur ceart san a dhéanamh, pé treoracha, i dtaobh stiúradh na vótaíochta (le na n-áirmhítear na boscaí ballóide d'oscailt agus na vótaí do chóimhreamh) i reifreann, do thabhairt amach do na cinn chóimhrimh áitiúla uile no d'éinne aca, is riachtanach no oiriúnach, dar leis, chun a áirithiú go raghaidh an reifreann san ar aghaidh go héascaidh agus go héifeachtúil agus chun a áirithiú gur aon nós imeachta amháin a bhainfidh leis sna dáilcheanntair uile.
(2) Beidh de dhualgas ar gach ceann cóimhrimh áitiúil gach treoir do bhéarfaidh an tAire dhó fén bhfo-alt deiridh sin roimhe seo den alt so do choimeád agus do chólíonadh.
(3) Má thárlann aon deacracht do bhaint le reifreann do thógaint féadfaidh an tAire, le hordú, socrú do dhéanamh i dtaobh éinní, no aon rud do dhéanamh, ná beidh buiniscionn leis an Acht so, is dóich leis is gá chun an reifreann san do thógaint sa cheart.
(4) Ní ceanglófar ar aon cheann cóimhrimh áitiúil ná ní húdarófar dó, le treoir do bhéarfaidh an tAire dhó fén alt so ná le hordú dhéanfaidh fé, éinní do dhéanamh (tré ghníomh no tré fhaillí) a bheidh contrárdha don Acht so no do sháródh, go díreach no go nea-dhíreach, seicréideacht na ballóide.
CUID III.
Achuingeacha Reifrinn.
Mínithe sa Chuid seo den Acht so.
33.—Sa Chuid seo den Acht so—
cialluíonn an abairt “cleacht cuirpthe” cionta is cleacht cuirpthe do réir bhrí an Achta chun Droch-Bhearta Toghacháin do Chosc, 1923 (Uimh. 38 de 1923),
cialluíonn an abairt “tíolacadh go cuibhe” maidir le hachuinge reifrinn gur tíolacadh an achuinge sin do réir na Coda so den Acht so agus nár tháinig sí chun bheith gan bhrí gan éifeacht tar éis í thíolacadh amhlaidh no, d'eile, gur thíolaic an tÁrd-Aighne í le cead na cúirte fén bhforáil chuige sin atá sa Chuid seo den Acht so.
Achuingeacha reifrinn.
34.—(1) Féadfaidh duine ar bith dá n-údaruítear san leis an alt so achuinge (dá ngairmtear achuinge reifrinn san Acht so), ag conspóid bailíocht deimhnithe reifrinn shealadaigh, do thíolacadh don Ard-Chuirt do réir na Coda so den Acht so.
(2) Féadfaidh achuinge reifrinn deimhniú reifrinn sealadach do chonspóid—
(a) maidir leis na sonnraí bheidh sa deimhniú san i dtaobh na vótála in aon dáilcheanntar áirithe, ar an scór gur thárla cleachtanna cuirpthe go fairsing le linn no i dtaobh an reifreann do thógaint sa dáilcheanntar san no ar scór earráide no mí-iompair (pé aca tré ghníomh no tré fhaillí é) ar thaobh an chinn chóimhrimh áitiúil don dáilcheanntar san, no
(b) maidir leis na sonnraí bheidh sa deimhniú san i dtaobh na vótála go léir sa reifreann iomlán no i dtaobh toradh an reifrinn mar a bheidh luaidhte sa deimhniú san, ar scór earráide ar thaobh chinn chóimhrimh an reifrinn no, i gcás gnáth-reifrinn, ar scór earráide maidir leis an líon de thoghthóirí Dála sa rolla de thoghthóirí bheidh i bhfeidhm de thurus na huaire.
(3) Féadfaidh éinne aca so leanas achuinge reifrinn do thíolacadh, sé sin le rá:—
(a) i gcás achuinge i dtaobh na vótála in aon dáilcheanntar amháin, duine ar bith do vótáil sa dáilcheanntar san sa reifreann no adeir go raibh sé i dteideal vótáil sa dáilcheanntar san sa reifreann ach gur diúltuíodh go nea-dhleathach páipéar ballóide do thabhairt dó no gur coisceadh é go nea-dhleathach in aon tslí eile ar vótáil amhlaidh;
(b) i gcás achuinge i dtaobh na vótála go léir sa reifreann iomlán no i dtaobh toradh an reifrinn, duine ar bith do vótáil sa reifreann;
(c) i gcás an bith, an tArd-Aighne.
(4) Ní bheidh deimhniú reifrinn sealadach ionchonspóidthe in aon tslí i gcúirt ar bith ach amháin tré achuinge reifrinn arna tíolacadh don Ard-Chúirt fén gCuid seo den Acht so.
An freagraidhe in achuinge reifrinn.
35.—(1) I gcás duine seachas an tArd-Aighne do thíolacadh achuinge reifrinn, isé an tArd-Aighne a hainmneofar inti mar fhreagraidhe dhi.
(2) I gcás an tArd-Aighne do thíolacadh achuinge reifrinn, ní hainmneofar éinne inti mar fhreagraidhe dhi ach féadfaidh an Ard-Chúirt, má mheasann san do bheith ceart, comhairleach no comhairligh do cheapadh chun an cás i gcoinnibh na hachuinge do phlé.
(3) Má thárlann, in achuinge reifrinn no in aon tsonnraí bheidh comhaduithe ina taobh no le linn achuinge reifrinn d'éisteacht, go ndéarfar aon duine áirithe do bheith ciontach i gcleacht cuirpthe maidir leis an reifreann no má déantar cóip d'achuinge reifrinn do sheirbheáil ar dhuine áirithe le hordú ón Ard-Chúirt, féadfaidh an Ard-Chúirt, ar iarratas an duine sin, é ainmniú mar fhreagraidhe no mar fhreagraidhe bhreise don achuinge sin.
(4) Má thárlann, le linn achuinge reifrinn do thriail a bheidh tíolactha ag an Ard-Aighne, go n-eireoidh ceist dlí i dtaobh éinní do rinne no ná dearna ceann cóimhrimh an reifrinn no ceann cóimhrimh áitiúil, féadfaidh an Ard-Chúirt, ar iarratas an Ard-Aighne, ceann cóimhrimh an reifrinn no an ceann cóimhrimh áitiúil sin (do réir mar a bheidh) d'ainmniú mar fhreagraidhe don achuinge sin chun an cheist dlí sin do phlé ach ní chun críche ar bith eile.
(5) I gcás ceann cóimhrimh an reifrinn no ceann cóimhrimh áitiúil d'ainmniú mar fhreagraidhe d'achuinge reifrinn fén bhfo-alt deiridh sin roimhe seo den alt so, íocfaidh an tAire Airgeadais, as airgead arna sholáthar ag an Oireachtas, na costais agus na caiteachais féna raghaidh an ceann cóimhrimh sin chun no i dtaobh teacht i láthair agus an cheist dlí do phlé.
(6) Na tagairtí atá san alt so do cheist dlí do phlé léireofar iad agus beidh éifeacht aca mar thagairtí fholuíonn tagairtí don cheist sin do phlé os cóir na Cúirte Uachtaraighe ar chás ríomhtha (más ann) uirthi chó maith leis an gceist sin do phlé os cóir na hArd-Chúirte.
Forálacha generálta i dtaobh achuingeacha reifrinn.
36.—Beidh feidhm agus éifeacht ag na forálacha so leanas i dtaobh gach achuinge reifrinn, sé sin le rá:—
(a) tíolacfar an achuinge tréna lóisteáil i bPríomh-Oifig na hArd-Chúirte, agus tíolacfar amhlaidh í tráth nach déanaighe ná lá is fiche tar éis an deimhniú reifrinn sealadach lena mbainfidh an achuinge sin d'fhoillsiú san Iris Oifigiúil;
(b) lasmuich de chás inarb é an tArd-Aighne an t-achuingeoir, déanfar cóip den achuinge do sheirbheáil ar an Ard-Aighne fé cheann cúig lá tar éis an lae tíolacfar í, agus déanfar dearbhóid ag deimhniú na seirbheála san do chomhadú i bPríomh-Oifig na hArd-Chúirte fé cheann an chúig lá san;
(c) lasmuich de chás inarb é an tArd-Aighne an t-achuingeoir, déanfaidh an t-achuingeoir, fé cheann cúig lá tar éis an achuinge do thíolacadh, urrús do thabhairt i gcostais an Ard-Aighne suas go dtí míle punt—
(i) tré shuim míle punt do lóisteáil le Cuntasóir na gCúirteanna Breithiúnais, no
(ii) tré dhul i mbannaí, go dtrí urra lena mbeidh Máistir na hArd-Chúirte sásta, á fhoráil go n-íocfar costais an Ard-Aighne suas go dtí pé suim (más aon tsuim é) nach mó ná míle punt a ordóidh an Ard-Chúirt;
(d) má thárlann, i gcás lena mbainfidh na forálacha san roimhe seo den alt so i dtaobh cóip den achuinge do thíolacadh agus dearbhóid seirbheála do chomhadú agus urrús do thabhairt i gcostais, ná déanfar do réir na bhforálacha san uile, tiocfaidh an achuinge chun bheith agus beidh gan bhrí gan éifeacht ar bheith caithte don tréimhse ceaptar leis an alt so chun déanamh do réir na bhforálacha san;
(e) leagfar amach go réasúnta mion san achuinge na forais is bun léi agus iarrfar inti go ndéanfadh an Ard-Chúirt an deimhniú reifrinn sealadach lena mbainfe sí d'athbhreithniú;
(f) déanfaidh an t-achuingeoir no a chomhairleach an achuinge do shighniú;
(g) másé is foras no is ceann d'fhorais na hachuinge ná gur thárla cleachtanna cuirpthe go fairsing i dtaobh an reifrinn do thógaint i ndáilcheanntar áirithe, ní gá na cleachtanna cuirpthe sin do luadh ach go generálta san achuinge ach, lasmuich de chás inarb é an tArd-Aighne an t-achuingeoir, déanfaidh an t-achuingeoir ráiteas iomlán mion-chruinn ina mbeidh sonnraí na gcleachtanna cuirpthe sin do lóisteáil i bPríomh-Oifig na hArd-Chúirte agus déanfaidh cóip de do sheirbheáil ar an Ard-Aighne fé cheann ceithre lá déag tar éis dáta an achuinge do thíolacadh;
(h) i gcás ráiteas ag luadh sonnraí cleachtanna cuirpthe do lóisteáil de bhun na míre deiridh sin roimhe seo den alt so, féadfaidh an Ard-Chúirt tráth ar bith, ar iarratas an Ard-Aighne, a cheangal ar an achuingeoir sonnraí breise agus feabhsa do thabhairt i dtaobh na gcleachtanna cuirpthe sin;
(i) má thárlann, ar bheith caithte do lá agus fiche tar éis deimhniú reifrinn sealadach d'fhoillsiú san Iris Oifigiúil, ná beidh aon achuinge reifrinn tíolactha i dtaobh an deimhnithe sin, déanfaidh Máistir na hArd-Chúirte, díreach ar an lá agus fiche sin do bheith caithte, an méid sin do chur in úil i scríbhinn do cheann chóimhrimh an reifrinn;
(j) i gcás an tArd-Aighne do thíolacadh achuinge reifrinn fé cheann na haimsire ceaptar leis an alt so, déanfaidh Máistir na hArd-Chúirte an méid sin do chur in úil láithreach i scríbhinn do cheann chóimhrimh an reifrinn;
(k) i gcás duine seachas an tArd-Aighne do thíolacadh achuinge reifrinn fé cheann na haimsire ceaptar leis an alt so, déanfaidh Máistir na hArd-Chúirte an méid sin do chur in úil láithreach i scríbhinn do cheann chóimhrimh an reifrinn agus déanfaidh freisin, tar éis bheith caithte ach ní níos mó ná seacht lá tar éis bheith caithte, do lá agus fiche tar éis an deimhniú reifrinn sealadach iomchuibhe d'fhoillsiú san Iris Oifigiúil, a chur in úil i scríbhinn do cheann chóimhrimh an reifrinn (do réir mar a bheidh an scéal)—
(i) gur cólíonadh go cuibhe, maidir leis an achuinge sin, na forálacha den alt so bhaineann le dearbhóid do chomhadú i dtaobh cóip den achuinge do sheirbheáil ar an Ard-Aighne agus le hurrús do thabhairt i gcostas, no
(ii) nár cólíonadh na forálacha san maidir leis an achuinge sin agus, dá bhrí sin, go bhfuil an achuinge sin gan bhrí gan éifeacht;
(l) mara ndéantar agus go dtí go ndéanfar rialacha cúirte i dtaobh achuingeacha reifrinn, beidh ag na rialacha cúirte, bheidh i bhfeidhm de thurus na huaire i dtaobh lán-ghairmeacha agus triail aicsean san Ard-Chúirt, feidhm agus éifeacht, fé réir forálacha na Coda so den Acht so, maidir le hachuingeacha reifrinn agus lena dtriail ach na hathruithe riachtanacha do dhéanamh ar na rialacha san;
(m) nuair a bheidh aon tréimhse aimsire luaidhtear san alt so agus nach sia ná deich lá á háireamh, fágfar ar lár Domhantaí, laethe saoire bainc, Lá Nodlag, agus Aoine an Chéasta.
Fógra do thabhairt do dhaoine lena mbaineann an cúrsa.
37.—(1) Má chítear don Ard-Chúirt, tráth ar bith roimh achuinge reifrinn do thriail no le linn í thriail, an achuinge sin do bhaint le duine áirithe no do dhéanamh deifre dhó i slí go mba cheart fógra do thabhairt dó ina taobh, féadfaidh an Ard-Chúirt, ar iarratas an Ard-Aighne no uaithi féin, a ordú go ndéanfadh an tArd-Aighne cóip den achuinge sin, maraon leis an bhfógra a luaidhtear sa chéad fho-alt eile den alt so, do sheirbheáil ar an duine sin.
(2) Déarfaidh an fógra seirbheálfar ar dhuine de bhun orduithe ón Ard-Chúirt fén bhfo-alt deiridh sin roimhe seo den alt so go bhfeictear don Ard-Chúirt an achuinge reifrinn, a seirbheálfar cóip di í dteanta an fhógra san, do bhaint leis an duine sin no do dhéanamh deifre dhó i slí go mba cheart fógra do thabhairt dó i dtaobh na hachuinge sin, agus déarfaidh an fógra san freisin an duine sin do bheith i dteideal fén gCuid seo den Acht so a iarraidh ar an Ard-Chúirt, más mian leis é, é féin d'ainmniú mar fhreagraidhe no mar fhreagraidhe bhreise don achuinge sin.
Achuinge reifrinn do thriail.
38.—(1) Beidh éifeacht ag na forálacha so leanas maidir le hachuinge reifrinn do thriail, sé sin le rá:—
(a) isí an Ard-Chúirt a thriailfidh gach achuinge reifrinn agus is os cóir triúr breithiún den chúirt sin a déanfar gach triail den tsórt san;
(b) is i gCathair Bhaile Atha Cliath a déanfar an triail, ach is dleathach don chúirt an triail no aon chuid di d'aistriú go dtí áit ar bith eile aon uair a chífear don chúirt é bheith oiriúnach an t-aistriú san do dhéanaml mar gheall ar an líon d'fhínnithe áitiúla no ar chúis ar bith eile;
(c) má haistrítear an triail no aon chuid di go dtí áit lasmuich de Chathair Bhaile Atha Cliath, beidh feidhm agus éifeacht ag ailt 41, 42, 43 agus 44 den Acht Cúirteanna Breithiúnais, 1936 (Uimh. 48 de 1936), fé is dá mb'í an Ard-Chúirt ar Cuaird an chúirt agus go mba bhaile athchomhairc an áit sin (maran baile athchomhairc é);
(d) lasmuich de chás ina n-ordóidh an chúirt a mhalairt, is viva voce do bhéarfar an fhianaise ag an triail;
(e) beidh an t-achuingeoir agus an freagraidhe (más ann) i dteideal, gach duine ar leith aca, fianaise do thabhairt ar áird agus, i gcás dhá fhreagraidhe no níos mó do bheith ann, beidh gach duine ar leith aca i dteideal éisteacht d'fháil agus fianaise do thabhairt ar áird ar leithligh;
(f) i gcás dhá achuinge reifrinn no níos mó do thíolacadh i dtaobh an aon deimhnithe reifrinn shealadaigh amháin, déanfaidh an triúr breithiún céanna, sa mhéid gur féidir é, na hachuingeacha san uile d'éisteacht agus do chinneadh, agus féadfar, más rogha leis an gcúirt é, na hachuingeacha san uile no aon dá cheann no níos mó dhíobh do thriail in éineacht no do chó-dhlúthú;
(g) beidh ceann cóimhrimh an reifrinn i láthair ag an triail agus bhéarfaidh i láthair agus seachadfaidh don chúirt an deimhniú reifrinn sealadach agus déanfaidh go generálta aon chabhair iarrfaidh an chúirt air do thabhairt don chúirt, ach beidh san gan dochar d'é bheith de cheart ag aon pháirtidhe san achuinge é ghairm mar fhínné;
(h) ní hiarrfar ná ní ceanglófar ar dhuine ar bith a rá conus a vótáil sé sa reifreann;
(i) is mar a chinnfidh an chúirt a híocfar costais na bpáirtithe uile san achuinge, agus beidh comhacht ag an gcúirt chun a ordú go n-íocfaidh aon pháirtidhe áirithe san achuinge costais no aon chuid de chostais aon pháirtidhe eile den tsórt san, agus, i gcás ina n-ordófar amhlaidh go n-íocfaidh an t-achuingeoir costais no aon chuid de chostais an Ard-Aighne, déanfaidh an chúirt socrú chun go ndéanfar, i gcás inar gá é, na costais sin d'íoc amach as an urrús i gcostais a bheidh tugtha ag an achuingeoir no tríd an urrús san.
(2) An chúirt a bheidh ag triail achuinge reifrinn, beidh sí i dteideal, tráth ar bith le linn na trialach san, a ordú go dtabharfaí duine áirithe os cóir na cúirte agus go dtabharfadh sé fianaise ag an triail sin, agus aon uair ordóidh an chúirt amhlaidh, beidh éifeacht ag na forálacha so leanas, sé sin le rá:—
(a) beidh de chomhacht ag an gcúirt a chur d'fhiachaibh ar an duine lena mbainfifih an t-ordú san teacht i láthair, agus déanfaidh an tArd-Aighne gach ní ordóidh an chúirt chun an duine sin do thabhairt os cóir na cúirte;
(b) na costais agus na caiteachais a bhainfidh leis an duine sin do thabhairt os cóir na cúirte (agus aon airgead is iníoctha leis mar chostais fhínné d'áireamh) íocfaidh an tArd-Aighne iad ar an gcéad ásc ach beid ina gcuid de chostais an Ard-Aighne agus muirearófar iad sa deireadh dá réir sin;
(c) féadfar a chur d'fhiachaibh ar an duine sin fianaise do thabhairt agus ceistneoidh an chúirt é agus féadfaidh aon pháirtidhe san achuinge reifrinn é chroscheistniú;
(d) ní bheidh an duine sin i dteideal diúltú d'aon cheist áirithe do fhreagairt ar an scór go gcoireodh an freagra san maidir le coir no cionta ar bith é.
Ceann cóimhrimh an reifrinn do thabhairt scríbhinní ar áird.
39.—(1) Nuair a bheidh achuinge reifrinn á triail beidh an chúirt i dteideal a cheangal ar cheann chóimhrimh an reifrinn gach ceann no aon cheann de na scríbhínní bheidh ar seilbh aige i dtaobh an reifrinn, ar a n-áirmhítear tuarascbhála agus pacáidí agus scríbhinní bheidh curtha chuige ag cinn chóimhrimh áitiúla, do thabhairt ar áird agus do sheachadadh don chúirt.
(2) Na scríbhinní uile seachadfar don chúirt fén bhfo-alt san roimhe seo den alt so coimeádfaidh an chúirt iad go dtí go mbeidh an deimhniú reifrinn sealadach iomchuibhe ina dheimhniú dheiridh agus bhéarfar thar n-ais do cheann chóimhrimh an reifrinn ansan iad.
(3) Faid a bheidh aon scríbhinní á gcoimeád ag an gcúirt fén alt so, is dleathach don chúirt a údarú d'aon duine no daoine áirithe gach ceann no aon cheann de na scríbhinní sin d'iniúchadh agus, i gcás inar gá san, pacáidí séaluithe d'oscailt, agus is dleathach don chúirt pé coinníollacha agus srianta a mheasfaidh is ceart d'fhorchur maidir le haon iniúchadh den tsórt san.
Reifreann d'ath-thógaint i ndáilcheanntar.
40.—(1) Nuair a bheidh achuinge reifrinn á triail ina mbeidh bailíocht deimhnithe reifrinn shealadaigh i dtaobh na vótála i ndáilcheanntar áirithe á conspóid, is dleathach don Ard-Chúirt a ordú go dtógfaí an reifreann ath-uair sa dáilcheanntar san, agus nuair ordóidh an Ard-Chúirt amhlaidh beidh éifeacht ag na forálacha so leanas sé sin le rá:—
(a) ceapfaidh an chúirt, san ordú san, an lá a bheidh ina lá vótaíochta chun an reifreann d'ath-thógaint amhlaidh;
(b) ath-thógfar an reifreann sa dáilcheanntar san, agus na forálacha den Acht so bhaineann le reifreann do thógaint (ar a n-áirmhítear na forálacha bhaineann le ceann cóimhrimh an reifrinn d'íoc as a sheirbhísí agus a chostaisí agus le héilithe agus costais ceann cóimhrimh áitiúil) bainfid leis an ath-thógaint sin ach an lá vótaíochta bheidh ceaptha leis an ordú san ón gcúirt do chur in ionad lae vótaíochta bheidh ceaptha ag an Aire;
(c) nuair a gheobhaidh ceann cóimhrimh an reifrinn tuarascbháil an chinn chóimhrimh áitiúil i dtaobh toradh chóimhreamh na vótaí ag an ath-thógaint sin, tuairisceoidh sé an toradh san don Ard-Chúirt láithreach.
(2) Ní ordóidh an Ard-Chúirt reifreann do thógaint ath-uair i ndáilcheanntar ar bith de bhíthin amháin nár cólíonadh na Rialacha atá sa Chéad Sceideal a ghabhann leis an Acht so no go ndearnadh botún in úsáid na bhfuirmeacha a horduítear leis an Acht so no fé má chítear don chúirt gur seoladh an reifreann san sa dáilcheanntar san do réir na bprínsiobal generálta atá leagtha amach san Acht agus ná dearna an nea-chólíonadh no an botún san deifir do thoradh an reifrinn sa dáilcheanntar san.
An t-ordú deiridh ar achuinge reifrinn.
41.—(1) I gcás gan ach aon achuinge reifrinn amháin do thíolacadh go cuibhe i dtaobh deimhnithe reifrinn shealadaigh, déanfar le hordú deiridh na cúirte ar thriail na hachuinge reifrinn sin—
(a) an deimhniú reifrinn sealadach san dob' abhar don achuinge do dhaingniú gan athrú, no
(b) a ordú go leasófar an deimhniú san do réir breith na cúirte (agus toradh aon ath-thógainte déanfar ar an reifreann d'áireamh) agus an deimhniú san arna leasú amhlaidh do dhaingniú.
(2) I gcás dhá achuinge reifrinn no níos mó do thíolacadh go cuibhe i dtaobh an aon deimhnithe reifrinn shealadaigh amháin, ansan agus sa chás san, pé aca triailfear na hachuingeacha san ar leithligh no triailfear in éineacht iad no có-dhlúthófar iad, déanfaidh an chúirt aon ordú deiridh có-dhlúite amháin ar na hachuingeacha san i ndeireadh a dtrialach agus déanfar leis an ordú deiridh có-dhlúite sin—
(a) an deimhniú reifrinn sealadach san dob' abhar do na hachuingeacha san do dhaingniú gan athrú, no
(b) a ordú go leasófar an deimhniú san do réir breitheanna uile agus fé seach na cúirte ar na hachuingeacha san fé seach (agus toradh aon ath-thógainte déanfar ar an reifreann d'áireamh) agus an deimhniú san arna leasú amhlaidh do dhaingniú.
(3) Má dhaingníonn an chúirt deimhniú reifrinn sealadach gan athrú, cuirfidh an chúirt fé ndear go ndéanfaidh clárathóir don Ard-Chúirt ráiteas do chúlscríobhadh ar an deimhniú san á rá an daingniú san do bheith déanta agus cuirfidh fé ndear an deimhniú san agus an chúlscríbhinn sin air do chur thar n-ais láithreach go dtí ceann cóimhrimh an reifrinn.
(4) Má orduíonn an chúirt deimhniú reifrinn sealadach do leasú agus go ndaingneoidh an deimhniú san arna leasú amhlaidh cuirfidh an chúirt fé ndear an deimhniú san do leasú do réir an orduithe sin, agus cuirfidh fé ndear freisin go ndéanfaidh clárathóir don Ard-Chúirt ráiteas do chúlscríobhadh ar an deimhniú san á rá go ndearnadh an leasú san le hordú ón gcúirt agus gur dhaingnigh an chúirt an deimhniú san arna leasú amhlaidh agus cuirfidh fé ndear an deimhniú san arna leasú amhlaidh agus an chúlscríbhinn sin air do chur thar n-ais láithreach go dtí ceann cóimhrimh an reifrinn.
(5) Nuair a gheobhaidh ceann cóimhrimh an reifrinn deimhniú reifrinn sealadach ón Ard-Chúirt agus cúlscríbhinn curtha air go cuibhe do réir an ailt seo tiocfaidh an deimhniú san láithreach chun bheith agus beidh sa bhfuirm inar dhaingnigh an chúirt é ina dheimhniú dheiridh nach féidir a chonspóid a thuilleadh i gcúirt ar bith agus beidh sé, sa bhfuirm sin, ina fhianaise dhochlaoite ar an vótáil sa reifreann lena mbainfidh agus ar thoradh an reifrinn sin.
Forálacha i dtaobh reifreann ag á mbeidh an t-aon lá vótaíochta amháin.
42.—I gcás an t-aon lá amháin do bheith ina lá vótaíochta le haghaidh dhá reifreann no níos mó agus achuinge reifrinn no dhá achuinge reifrinn no níos mó, ag conspóid an deimhnithe reifrinn shealadaigh i dtaobh ceann amháin—ach ní níos mó—de na reifrinn sin, do thíolacadh go cuibhe, no achuingeacha reifrinn, ag conspóid roinnt—ach ní gach ceann—de na deimhnithe reifrinn sealadacha fé seach i dtaobh na reifreann san, do thíolacadh go cuibhe, beidh éifeacht ag na forálacha so leanas d'ainneoin éinní buiniscionn leis sin atá san Acht so, sé sin le rá:—
(a) ní thiocfaidh deimhniú reifrinn sealadach i dtaobh aon reifrinn aca san chun bheith ina dheimhniú dheiridh de bhíthin gan aon achuinge reifrinn ag conspóid an deimhnithe sin do thíolacadh go cuibhe;
(b) is dleathach don Ard-Aighne, le cead ón Ard-Chúirt, achuinge reifrinn do thíolacadh tráth ar bith ag con spóid aon deimhnithe reifrinn shealadaigh bhainfidh le haon reifreann aca san agus ná beidh daingnithe ag an Ard-Chúirt agus nach abhar d'achuinge reifrinn arna tíolacadh go cuibhe;
(c) sa mhéid gur féidir é, déanfaidh an triúr breithiún céanna na hachuingeacha reifrinn uile (arna dtíolacadh go cuibhe) ag conspóid aon deimhnithe de na deimhnithe reifrinn sealadacha i dtaobh aon reifrinn aca san d'éisteacht agus do chinneadh, agus féadfar, más rogha leis an gcúirt é, na hachuingeacha san uile no aon dá cheann no níos mó dhíobh do thriail in éineacht no do chó-dhlúthú;
(d) déanfar orduithe deiridh na cúirte ar thrialacha uile na n-achuingeacha reifrinn sin an t-aon lá amháin;
(e) nuair a bheidh na horduithe deiridh sin déanta, is tuigthe gach deimhniú reifrinn sealadach, a bhainfidh le haon reifrinn aca san ná beifear tar éis aon achuinge reifrinn do thíolacadh go cuibhe ina thaobh, do bheith daingnithe ag an gcúirt, agus cuirfidh an chúirt fé ndear go gcúlscríobhfaidh clárathóir don Ard-Chúirt ráiteas ar gach deimhniú den tsórt san á rá gur tuigthe an deimhniú san do bheith daingnithe ag an Ard-Chúirt, agus cuirfidh an chúirt fé ndear an deimhniú san agus an chúlscríbhinn sin air do chur thar n-ais láithreach go dtí ceann cóimhrimh an reifrinn;
(f) déanfaidh ceann cóimhrimh an reifrinn gach deimhniú reifrinn sealadach is tuigthe fén mír dheiridh sin roimhe seo den fho-alt so do bheith daingnithe ag an gcúirt do sheachadadh don Ard-Chúirt chun cúlscríobhadh do dhéanamh air fén mír sin, agus nuair a bheidh cúlscríobhadh déanta amhlaidh ar gach deimhniú den tsórt san agus a gheobhaidh ceann cóimhrimh an reifrinn ón Ard-Chúirt é tiocfa sé láithreach chun bheith agus beidh ina dheimhniú dheiridh nach féidir a chonspóid i gcúirt ar bith agus beidh sé ina fhianaise dho-chlaoite ar an vótáil sa reifreann lena mbainfidh agus ar thoradh an reifrinn sin.
Achuingeoir d'éag no do dhéanamh moille.
43.—Beidh feidhm agus éifeacht ag na forálacha so leanas maidir le gach achuinge reifrinn a thíolacfaidh duine seachas an tArd-Aighne, sé sin le rá:—
(a) i gcás dhá achuingeoir no níos mó do bheith ann agus duine no níos mó aca ach gan iad uile d'éag tráth ar bith sara ndéanfaidh an chúirt an t-ordú deiridh ar thriail na hachuinge, beidh an t-achuingeoir marth anach no na hachuingeoirí marthanacha i dteideal an achuinge do choimeád ar siúl ach go ndéanfar pé iarratais no orduithe is gá do réir na rialacha cúirte;
(b) i gcás an t-aon achuingeoir amháin, no an t-achuingeoir marthanach deiridh, d'éag tráth ar bith sara ndéanfaidh an chúirt an t-ordú deiridh ar thriail na hachuinge, déanfaidh an Ard-Chúirt ar iarratas an Ard-Aighne, seoladh na hachuinge sin d'aistriú chun an Ard-Aighne agus, air sin, déanfar na himeachta uile ina dhiaidh sin ar an achuinge sin do sheoladh fé is dá mb' achuinge arna tíolacadh ag an Ard-Aighne í;
(c) i gcás gan an t-achuingeoir do dhul ar aghaidh go réasúnta mear leis na himeachta ar an achuinge, féadfaidh an Ard-Chúirt, ar iarratas an Ard-Aighne, ordú deiridh do dhéanamh láithreach ag daingniú an deimhnithe reifrinn shealadaigh dob abhar don achuinge gan athrú no, d'eile, seoladh na hachuinge d'aistriú chun an Ard-Aighne agus a údarú dhó-san dul ar aghaidh leis an achuinge fé is dá mb' é féin a thíolacfadh í;
(d) ní oibreoidh éinní atá san alt so chun a chosc ar an Ard-Chúirt a ordú go n-íocfaí costais no cuid de chostais an Ard-Aighne as no tríd an urrús i gcostais a bheidh tugtha ag achuingeoir éagtha no ag achuingeoir d'fhailligh dul ar aghaidh go réasúnta mear.
Athchomharc i bhfuirm cáis ríomhtha chun na Cúirte Uachtaraighe.
44.—(1) Tráth ar bith le linn achuinge reifrinn do bheith á triail, féadfaidh an Ard-Chúirt, má mheasann san do bheith ceart as a comhairle féin no ar iarratas aon pháirtidhe san achuinge sin, cás do ríomhadh d'iarraidh tuairim na Cúirte Uachtaraighe ar aon cheist dlí eireoidh ag an triail sin.
(2) I gcás an Ard-Chúirt do ríomhadh cáis d'iarraidh tuairim na Cúirte Uachtaraighe fén alt so, ní dhéanfaidh an Ard-Chúirt aon ordú deiridh i dtaobh na hachuinge reifrinn a mbeidh an cás san á ríomhadh ina taobh go dtí go mbeidh a breith tugtha ag an gCúirt Uachtarach ar an gceist a cuirfear féna bráid leis an gcás san, agus féadfaidh an Ard-Chúirt triail no aon chuid de thriail na hachuinge reifrinn sin do chur ar ath-ló go dtí go mbeidh an bhreith sin tugtha.
(3) Na costais féna raghaidh na páirtithe uile i gcúrsa no i dtaobh cáis a ríomhfar le haghaidh na Cúirte Uachtaraighe fén alt so beid, chun gach críche, ina gcuid de chostais na bpáirtithe sin fé seach i gcúrsa no i dtaobh na hachuinge reifrinn ar ina taobh a déanfar an cás san do ríomhadh.
AN CHEAD SCEIDEAL.
Rialacha chun an Votaiocht do Dheanamh i Reifreann.
Cuid I.
Feidhmeanna na gCeann Cóimhrimh Áitiúla.
1.—(1) Is dleathach d'aon cheann cóimhrimh áitiúil, le toiliú an Aire, leas-cheann cóimhrimh áitiúil do cheapadh chun dualgais uile an chinn chóimhrimh áitiúil sin no aon chuid áirithe dhíobh do chólíonadh agus, dá réir sin, foluíonn an abairt “ceann cóimhrimh áitiúil” sa Sceideal so, maidir le haon dualgais dá gceapfar leas-cheann cóimhrimh áitiúil amhlaidh, an leas-cheann cóimhrimh áitiúil a bheidh ceaptha amhlaidh.
(2) Na forálacha d'alt 4 den Acht Toghacháin (Dáilcheanntair d'Athchóiriú), 1935 (Uimh. 5 de 1935), agus den Dara Sceideal a ghabhann leis an Acht san a bhaineann le cinn chóimhrimh chonganta, beidh feidhm agus éifeacht aca maidir le gach reifreann agus, dá réir sin, foluíonn an abairt “ceann cóimhrimh áitiúil” sa Sceideal so, maidir le haon chuid de dháilcheanntar ina mbeidh ceann cóimhrimh conganta ceaptha no ag gníomhú fé na forálacha san den Acht san, an ceann cóimhrímh conganta a bheidh ceaptha no ag gníomhú amhlaidh.
2.—Chó luath agus is féidir é tar éis don Aire ordú do dhéanamh ag ceapadh an lae vótaíochta i reifreann, cuirfidh ceann cóimhrimh an reifrinn go dtí gach ceann cóimhrimh áitiúil cóip den ordú san agus cóip den togra is abhar don reifreann san.
3.—(1) Déanfaidh gach ceann cóimhrimh áitiúil, díreach tar éis dó an chóip den ordú san d'fháil o cheann chóimhrimh an reifrinn, fógra puiblí do thabhairt sa bhfuirm orduithe—
(a) i dtaobh an reifreann do thógaint lena mbainfidh an t-ordú san, agus
(b) i dtaobh an togra is abhar don reifreann san, agus
(c) i dtaobh na bpost-oifigí ina bhféadfar cóipeanna den Bhille ina bhfuil an tógra san d'iniúchadh agus do cheannach, agus
(d) i dtaobh dáta an lae vótaíochta sa reifreann san.
(2) Déanfaidh gach ceann cóimhrimh áitiúil, chó luath agus is féidir é tar éis an fógra puiblí sin d'fhoillsiú, cóip den fhógra san do chur go dtí máistir puist na príomh-oifige puist i ngach ceanntar vótaíochta fé leith ina dháilcheanntar i gclúdach no i bhfillteán ar a mbeidh na focail “Fógra Reifrinn” cúlscríobhtha, agus déanfaidh an tAire Puist agus Telegrafa gach clúdach no fillteán den tsórt san ar a mbeidh an chúlscríbhinn sin do chur ar aghaidh agus do sheachadadh in aisce.
(3) Gach máistir puist chun a gcuirfear amhlaidh cóip den fhógra san déanfaidh, ar í d'fháil, í fhoillsiú sa tslí ina bhfoillsítear fógraí Post-Oifige de ghnáth.
4.—(1) Cuirfidh an tAire Puist agus Telegrafa fé ndear cóipeanna den Bhille ina mbeidh an togra is abhar don reifreann do chur ar fáil chun baill den phobal dá n-iniúchadh agus dá gceannach sna post-oifigí sin ar fuaid an Stáit ar a gcó-aontófar idir an tAire sin agus an tAire Riaghaltais Aiteamhail agus Sláínte Poiblidhe gach tráth a bheidh na post-oifigí sin ar oscailt ón tríú lá tar éis dáta an orduithe ag ceapadh an lae vótaíochta go dtí an lá vótaíochta.
(2) Beidh ball ar bith den phobal i dteideal iniúchadh do dhéanamh in aisce ar chóip den Bhille sin in aon phost-oifig ina mbeidh sí curtha ar fáil chun a hiniúchta amhlaidh de bhun na rialach so tráth ar bith a bheidh sí curtha ar fáil amhlaidh, agus fós cóip den Bhille sin do cheannach in aon phost-oifig agus aon tráth den tsórt san ar pé suim (nach mó ná reul) d'íoc aisti a cheapfaidh an tAire Puist agus Telegrafa.
5.—I ngach áit vótaíochta soláthróidh an ceann cóimhrimh áitiúil oiread stáisiún vótaíochta agus is gá do na vótálaithe bheidh i dteideal vótáil san áit vótaíochta san agus roinnfidh na stáisiúin vótaíochta ar na vótálaithe sin sa tslí is dóich leis is caothúla.
6.—Gléasfar gach stáisiún vótaíochta le hoiread agus is dóich leis an gceann cóimhrimh áitiúil is gá d'eadranna ina bhféadfaidh na vótálaithe a vótanna do mharcáil gan súil éinne ortha, ach soláthrófar aon eadrann amháin ar a laghad in aghaidh gach céad go leith vótálaidhe bheidh i dteideal vótáil sa stáisiún vótaíochta san.
7.—Féadfaidh stáisiún vótaíochta ar leithligh bheith i seomra ar leithligh no i mboth ar leithligh, no féadfar roinnt stáisiún vótaíochta do dhéanamh san aon tseomra amháin no san aon bhoth amháin.
8.—Ní leigfear éinne isteach chun vótáil in aon stáisiún vótaíochta ach sa cheann a bheidh ceaptha dhó.
9.—Bhéarfaidh an ceann cóimhrimh áitiúil fógra puiblí i dtaobh suidheamh na stáisiún vótaíochta uile ina dháilcheanntar, agus i dtaobh an tsaghais vótálaithe bheidh i dteideal vótáil i ngach stáisiún fé leith aca san.
10.—Soláthróidh an ceann cóimhrimh áitiúil i ngach stáisiún vótaíochta fé leith abhair lena bhféadfaidh vótálaithe a bpáipéirí ballóide do mharcáil, ionstruimí chun an marc oifigiúil do stampáil ar na páipéirí ballóide, agus cóipeanna den rolla de thoghthóirí bheidh i bhfeidhm de thurus na huaire no de pé cuid de ina mbeidh ainmneacha na vótálaithe dá mbeidh ceaptha vótáil sa stáisiún san.
11.—Coimeádfaidh an ceann cóimhrimh áitiúil rún ar an marc oifigiúil.
12.—(1) Féadfaidh an ceann cóimhrimh áitiúil pé cléirigh agus pé méid díobh is dóich leis is ceart do cheapadh do gach stáisiún vótaíochta fé leith chun cabhruithe leis an oifigeach ceannais sa stáisiún vótaíochta san.
(2) Féadfaidh oifigeach ceannais, tré na cléirigh a ceapfar fén riail seo chun cabhruithe leis, aon ghníomh do dhéanamh a ceangailtear air no a húdaruítear dó, leis an Acht so, do dhéanamh, ach amháin a ordú éinne do ghabháil no éinne do dhúnadh amach no do chur amach as an stáisiún vótaíochta.
13.—Coimeádfaidh gach oifigeach ceannais ordúlacht ina stáisiún vótaíochta, socróidh cá mhéid vótálaidhe a leigfear isteach sa turas, agus dúnfaidh amach gach éinne eile ach amháin a chléirigh, na gníomhairí pearsanála (más ann) a bheidh ceaptha dá stáisiún vótaíochta, agus na baill den Ghárda Síochána bheidh ar dualgas.
14.—Gach ceann cóimhrimh áitiúil agus gach oifigeach, cléireach, gníomhaire pearsanála, agus duine eile dá gceadófar bheith i láthair i stáisiún vótaíochta (ar chúis seachas chun vótáil sa vótaíocht) déanfaidh, roimh thosach na vótaíochta, geallúint sa bhfuirm orduithe do shighniú go gcoimeádfaidh rún ar an mballóid.
15.—(1) Beidh gach bosca ballóide déanta ar chuma ina bhféadfar na páipéirí ballóide do chur isteach ann ach ná féadfar iad do thógaint amach as gan an glas do bhaint den bhosca.
(2) Díreach roimh thosach na vótaíochta déanfaidh an t-oifigeach ceannais i ngach stáisiún vótaíochta na boscaí ballóide do thaisbeáint agus iad folamh do pé daoine bheidh (má bhíonn) i láthair an uair sin sa stáisiún san i dtreo go bhfeicfid iad do bheith folamh, agus glasfaidh gach bosca ballóide ansan agus cuirfidh a shéala air ar chuma ná féadfar é d'oscailt gan an séala san do bhriseadh, agus leagfaidh ina radharc é chun páipéirí ballóide do ghlacadh ann agus coimeádfaidh glasta agus séaluithe amhlaidh é.
16.—Díreach roimh pháipéar ballóide do thabhairt do vótálaidhe marcálfar é ar a dhá thaobh leis an marc oifigiúil tréna stampáil air no tréna pholladh tríd, agus glaodhfar amach uimhir agus ainm agus tuairisc an vótálaidhe fé mar a bheid ar an gcóip den rolla de thoghthóirí agus marcálfar uimhir an vótálaidhe sin ar an gcódhuille, agus cuirfear marc ar an rolla os coinne uimhir an vótálaidhe mar chomhartha ar pháipéar ballóide do bheith faighte aige, ach gan a thaisbeáint cadé an páipéar ballóide áirithe do fuair sé.
17.—Ar fháil an pháipéir bhallóide don vótálaidhe, raghaidh isteach láithreach i gceann de na headranna sa stáisiún vótaíochta agus marcálfaidh a pháipéar san áit sin, agus fillfidh é ar chuma cheilfidh a vóta, agus ansan cuirfidh a pháipéar ballóide, agus é fillte amhlaidh, isteach sa bhosca bhallóide; vótálfaidh gan rómhoill, agus fágfaidh an stáisiún vótaíochta chó luath agus a bheidh a pháipéar ballóide curtha isteach sa bhosca bhallóide aige.
18.—(1) Má chuireann aon vótálaidhe ina luighe ar an oifigeach ceannais go bhfuil an radharc chó holc san aige no go bhfuil sé chó mór san fé mhí-chumas eile cuirp no go bhfuil sé chó nea-léigheanta san nach féidir dó vótáil gan congnamh, bhéarfaidh an t-oifigeach ceannais, i bhfianaise na ngníomhairí pearsanála (más ann), go marcálfar vóta an vótálaidhe sin ar pháipéar bhallóide ar an gcuma adéarfaidh an vótálaidhe sin agus cuirfidh an páipéar ballóide agus é marcálta amhlaidh isteach sa bhosca bhallóide.
(2) Má iarrann aon vótálaidhe laistigh de cheithre huaire a' chluig roimh an am a bheidh ceaptha chun an vótaíocht do chríochnú go marcálfaí a pháipéar ballóide dhó fén riail seo féadfaidh an t-oifigeach ceannais diúltú don iarratas san más dóich leis, ag féachaint don mhéid vótálaithe bheidh ag teacht isteach an uair sin chun vótáil no is deallrathach a thiocfaidh isteach chun vótáil roimh chríochnú na vótaíochta, go ndéanfadh a ghéilleadh don iarratas san cur-isteach ar cheart-chólíonadh a dhualgas no go gcuirfeadh sé bac ró-mhór ar vótáil vótálaithe eile.
(3) Ag feidhmiú forálacha na rialach so dhó coimeádfaidh agus cólíonfaidh an t-oifigeach ceannais na treoracha so leanas sé sin le rá:—
(a) fiafróidh an t-oifigeach ceannais den vótálaidhe, “Cé aca is mian leat a dhéanamh—vótáil i bhfábhar an togra? no vótáil i gcoinnibh an togra?”;
(b) marcálfaidh an t-oifigeach ceannais an páipéar ballóide ansan do réir an fhreagra do bhéarfaidh an vótálaidhe ar an gceist sin;
(c) mara dtuigidh an vótálaidhe brí na ceiste sin, léighfidh an t-oifigeach ceannais amach don vótálaidhe an togra mar a bheidh sé ar an bpáipéar ballóide agus fiafróidh den vótálaidhe ansan. “An bhfuil tú i bhfábhar no an bhfuil tú i gcoinnibh dlí do dhéanamh den togra san?” agus marcálfaidh an páipéar ballóide ansan do réir an fhreagra do bhéarfaidh an vótálaidhe;
(d) i gcás an páipéar ballóide dá cheadú don vótálaidhe vótáil i dtaobh dhá thogra no níos mó, déanfaidh an t-oifigeach ceannais na fo-mhíreanna san roimhe seo den mhír seo do chólíonadh maidir le gach togra aca san ar leithligh agus i ndiaidh a chéile;
(e) ní ghlacfaidh ná ní bhreithneoidh an t-oifigeach ceannais aon pháipéar ná scríbhinn do bheir le tuisgint é do thaisbeáint na slí inar mian leis an vótálaidhe a vóta do thabhairt ná ní dhéanfaidh beart dá réir, agus ní mharcálfaidh páipéar ballóide an vótálaidhe ach do réir na bhforálacha san roimhe seo den mhír seo den riail seo agus tar éis iad a chólíonadh.
19.—Ma chuireann duine in úil gurb aon duine áirithe dá mbeidh ainmnithe ar an rolla de thoghthóirí é agus go n-iarrfaidh páipéar ballóide tar éis duine eile do vótáil fé ainm an duine sin, beidh an t-iarratasóir i dteideal páipéar ballóide do mharcáil ar nós aon vótálaidhe eile ar na ceisteanna san do fhreagairt agus ar an mionn san do thabhairt no an dearbhú san do dhéanamh, go cuibhe, a ceaduítear leis an Acht so a fhiafraí de vótálaithe agus a chur ortha le linn na vótaíochta, ach beidh malairt datha ar an bpáipéar ballóide (dá ngairmtear san Acht so páipéar ballóide tairgthe) seachas mar a bheidh ar na páipéirí ballóide eile, agus in ionad é chur sa bhosca bhallóide bhéarfar don oifigeach ceannais é agus scríobhfaidh seisean ar a chúl ainm an vótálaidhe agus an uimhir a bheidh aige ar an rolla de thoghthóirí agus cuirfear i leataoibh é i bpacáid fé leith agus ní chóimhreoidh an ceann cóimhrimh é, agus déanfar ainm an vótálaidhe sin agus an uimhir a bheidh aige ar an rolla do chur ar an liost de vótaí tairgthe sa bhfuirm orduithe.
20.—Má bheireann vótálaidhe, gan cuimhneamh air féin, a leithéid sin de dhéanamh dá pháipéar ballóide nach uiriste é d'úsáid mar pháipéar bhallóide, agus go dtabharfaidh don oifigeach ceannais an páipéar ballóide a mbeidh sé tar éis an déanamh san do thabhairt dó gan cuimhneamh air féin agus go gcruthóidh chun sástachta an oifigigh cheannais gur gan cuimhneamh air féin do rinne amhlaidh, féadfaidh páipéar ballóide eile d'fháil in ionad an pháipéir bhallóide bhéarfaidh suas amhlaidh (dá ngairmtear san Acht so páipéar ballóide loitithe), agus cealófar láithreach an páipéar ballóide loitithe.
21.—(1) Chó luath agus is féidir é tar éis críochnú na vótaíochta déanfaidh an t-oifigeach ceannais i ngach stáisiún vótaíochta na boscaí ballóide do húsáideadh sa vótaíocht sa stáisiún vótaíochta san do shéalú lena shéala féin ar chuma ná féadfar a thuilleadh páipéirí ballóide do chur isteach ionta.
(2) Chó luath agus is féidir é tar éis críochnú na vótaíochta déanfaidh an t-oifigeach ceannais i ngach stáisiún vótaíochta na boscaí ballóide sin, agus iad séaluithe mar a horduítear leis an riail seo, do sheachadadh don cheann chóimhrimh áitiúil agus air sin glacfaidh seisean na boscaí ballóide sin féna chúram.
22.—Déanfaidh an t-oifigeach ceannais i ngach stáisiún vótaíochta, chó luath agus is féidir é tar éis críochnú na vótaíochta, pacáidí fé leith a séalofar lena shéala féin—
(a) de na páipéirí ballóide neamh-úsáidthe agus na páipéirí ballóide loitithe agus iad i dteanta a chéile, agus
(b) de na páipéirí ballóide tairgthe, agus
(c) de na cóipeanna marcálta den rolla de thogthóirí, agus de chó-dhuillí na bpáipéirí ballóide, agus
(d) den liost de vótaí tairgthe,
agus seachadfaidh na pacáidí sin uile don cheann chóimhrimh áitiúil.
23.—Na pacáidí luaidhtear sa riail deiridh sin roimhe seo beidh ráiteas ón oifigeach ceannais sa bhfuirm orduithe ag gabháil leo, á innsint cá mhéid páipéirí ballóide do tugadh dó agus ag tabhairt cuntais ortha fé na mírchinn seo: (a) páipéirí ballóide sna boscaí ballóide, (b) páipéirí ballóide neamh-úsáidthe, (c) páipéirí ballóide loitithe, agus (d) páipéirí ballóide tairgthe, agus gairmtear an cuntas ar pháipéirí ballóide den ráiteas san san Acht so.
24.—Chó luath agus is féidir é tar éis críochnú na vótaíochta i ndáilcheanntar deanfaidh ceann cóimhrimh áitiúil an dáilcheanntair sin gach bosca ballóide fé leith do húsáideadh sa vótaíocht sa dáilcheanntair san d'oscailt, na páipéirí ballóide bheidh ann do thógaint amach as, a líon do chóimhreamh agus do chur ar breacadh, agus ansan na páipéirí ballóide uile bhí sna boscaí ballóide sin do mheascadh ar a chéile.
25.—(1) Nuair a bheidh na páipéirí ballóide measctha ar a chéile ag an gceann cóimhrimh áitiúil, cóimhreoidh sé na vótaí bheidh breactha ortha agus déanfaidh amach an uimhir de vótaí bheidh tugtha tríotha i bhfábhar an togra is abhar don reifreann agus an uimhir de vótaí bheidh tugtha tríotha i gcoinnibh an togra san agus cuirfe sé an dá uimhir sin fé seach ar breacadh.
(2) I gcás na páipéirí ballóide do bhaint le dhá reifreann no níos mó, cóimhreoidh an ceann cóimhrimh áitiúil agus cuirfidh ar breacadh do réir na rialach so ar leithligh na huimreacha de vótaí bheidh breactha ar na páipéirí ballóide sin i bhfábhar agus i gcoinnibh na dtograí uile agus fé seach is abhair fé seach do na reifrinn sin.
(3) Nuair a bheidh na forálacha san roimhe seo den riail seo á gcólíonadh aige, diúltóidh an ceann cóimhrimh áitiúil d'aon pháipéirí ballóide bheidh nea-mbailidhe ach, i gcás na páipéirí ballóide do bhaint le dhá reifreann no níos mó, déanfa sé idirdhealú idir pháipéirí ballóide a bheidh nea-mbailidhe ar fad agus páipéirí ballóide ná beidh nea-mbailidhe ach maidir le ceann no le cuid de na reifrinn sin ach ná beidh nea-mbailidhe maidir leo go léir.
(4) An bhreith do bhéarfaidh an ceann cóimhrimh áitiúil maidir le haon pháipéar ballóide áirithe do bheith bailidhe no neambailidhe, beidh sí ina breith dheiridh agus ní bheidh sí ionchonspóidthe ach amháin tré achuinge reifrinn.
26.—(1) Tráth ar bith le linn na vótaí do chóimhreamh, féadfaidh an ceann cóimhrimh áitiúil, agus déanfaidh má dhéanann éinne bheidh i láthair go dleathach san do cheangal air, na vótaí bheidh breactha ar na páipéirí ballóide uile no ar aon bheartán áirithe de pháipéirí ballóide d'athchóimhreamh.
(2) Má thárlann, ar aon chéad-athchóimhreamh do dhéanamh fén riail seo, gurb ionann toradh an athchóimhrimh sin agus toradh an chóimhrimh bhunaidh, ní bheidh ar an gceann cóimhrimh áitiúil aon athchóimhreamh eile do dhéanamh, ach má thárlann, ar an gcéad-athchóimhreamh san do dhéanamh, nach ionann toradh an athchóimhrimh sin agus toradh an chóimhrimh bhunaidh, leanfaidh an ceann cóimhrimh áitiúil den athchóimhreamh go dtí gurb ionann torthaí dhá athchóimhreamh den tsórt san as a chéile.
27.—(1) Scríobhfaidh an ceann cóimhrimh áitiúil “diúltuithe” ar chúl aon pháipéir bhallóide dá ndiúltóidh mar pháipéar neambailidhe agus, i gcás an páipéar ballóide sin do bhaint le dhá reifreann no níos mó, cuirfidh leis an gcúl-scríbhinn sin (fé mar is gá sa chás) na focail “ar fad” no comharthú ar an reifreann gur ina thaobh a bheidh diúltuithe dhó.
(2) Tuairisceoidh an ceann cóimhrimh áitiúil do cheann chóimhrimh an reifrinn cá mhéid páipéar ballóide dar dhiúltuigh agus nár chóimhrimh mar gheall ar gach cúis fé leith aca so leanas, sé sin le rá:—
(a) easba an mhairc oifigiúil,
(b) scríbhneoireacht no marc tréna bhféadfaí an vótálaidhe d'aithint,
(c) nea-marcálta no gan éifeacnt toisc nea-chinnteachta.
(3) I gcás na páipéirí ballóide do bhaint le dhá reifreann no níos mó, déanfaidh an ceann cóimhrimh áitiúil idirdhealú sa tuarascabháil sin uaidh idir na páipéirí ballóide dar dhiúltuigh mar gheall ar iad do bheith nea-marcálta, no gan éifeacht toisc nea-chinnteachta, maidir leis na reifrinn go léir agus iad san dar dhiúltuigh mar gheall ar iad do bheith nea-marcálta, no gan éifeacht toisc nea-chinnteachta, maidir le ceann no cinn de na reifrinn sin ach ní maidir leo go léir.
28.—Le linn bheith ag cóimhreamh agus ag riaradh na bpáipéirí ballóide agus ag breacadh a n-uimhreacha de bhun na rialacha san roimhe seo, coimeádfaidh an ceann cóimhrimh áitiúil na páipéirí ballóide ar a n-aghaidh in áirde agus glacfaidh gach réamhchúram is cóir chun gan leigean d'éinne na huimhreacha bheidh clóbhuailte ar chúl na bpáipéirí ballóide sin d'fheiscint.
29.—(1) Féadfaidh gach comhalta fé leith de Dháil Éireann don dáilcheanntar agus comhalta ar bith de Sheanad Éireann beirt daoine d'ainmniú chun bheith i láthair thar a cheann le linn na mboscaí ballóide d'oscailt agus na vótaí do chóimhreamh; féadfaidh aon chomhalta den tsórt san é féin d'ainmniú mar dhuine de na daoine arna n-ainmniú amhlaidh aige.
(2) Féadfaidh an ceann cóimhrimh áitiúil agus a chléirigh agus a chongantóirí agus daoine bheidh ainmnithe mar adubhradh ag comhaltaí de Dháil Éireann no de Sheanad Éireann agus ní fhéadfaidh éinne eile (ach amháin le cead an chinn chóimhrimh áitiúil) bheith i láthair le linn na mboscaí ballóide do bheith á n-oscailt agus na vótaí á gcóimhreamh.
(3) An ceann cóimhrimh áitiúil agus gach cléireach, congantóir agus duine dá gceadófar bheith i láthair le linn na mboscaí ballóide d'oscailt no na vótaí do chóimhreamh, déanfaidh, sara dtosnófar ar an oscailt sin, geallúint sa bhfuirm orduithe do shighniú go gcoimeádfaidh rún ar an mballóid.
(4) I gcás an lá vótaíochta i reifreann bunreachta do bheith ina lá vótaíochta in olltoghchán freisin, beidh na comhachta bheirtear leis na forálacha san roimhe seo den riail seo do chomhalta de Dháil Éireann infheidhmithe ag duine ar bith do bhí ina chomhalta de Dháil Éireann díreach roimh an scur ba shiocair leis an olltoghchán san.
30.—(1) Sa mhéid gur féidir é raghaidh an ceann cóimhrimh áitiúil ar aghaidh go leanúnach le hoscailt na mboscaí ballóide agus le cóimhreamh na vótaí, gan stad ach chun bia no deoch do chaitheamh agus ar feadh sosa leanfaidh (ach amháin sa mhéid is oiriúnach leis) óna seacht a chlog istoíche go dtí a naoi a chlog maidin lá arna mháireach.
(2) I rith an tsosa san cuirfidh an ceann cóimhrimh áitiúil na páipéirí ballóide agus na scríbhinní eile bhaineann leis an vótaíocht féna shéala féin agus glacfaidh fairis sin pé réamhchúram is cóir chun na páipéirí agus na scríbhinní sin do choimeád sábhálta.
31.—Nuair a bheidh cóimhreamh na vótaí críochnuithe ag an gceann cóimhrimh áitiúil, déanfa sé na nithe seo leanas, sé sin le rá:—
(a) cuirfidh go dtí ceann cóimhrimh an reifrinn tuarascbháil i scríbhinn sa bhfuirm orduithe ina luadhfar an uimhir de vótaí bailidhe do caitheadh i bhfábhar an togra, an uimhir de vótaí bailidhe do caitheadh i gcoinnibh an togra, agus pé nithe eile bheidh orduithe;
(b) i gcás an t-aon lá amháin do bheith ina lá vótaíochta i dhá reifreann no níos mó, cuirfidh an ceann cóimhrimh áitiúil go dtí ceann cóimhrimh an reifrinn tuarascbháil ar leithligh den tsórt adubhradh i dtaobh gach reifrinn fé leith den tsórt san;
(c) cuirfidh go dtí ceann cóimhrimh an reifrinn na pacáidí agus an ráiteas so leanas maidir le post-vótálaithe, sé sin le rá: an phacáid ina mbeidh na dearbhuithe céannachta do bhí ag gabháil le páipéirí ballóide lenar glacadh go cuibhe, agus an phacáid ina mbeidh dearbhuithe céannachta dar diúltuíodh maraon leis na clúdaigh (más ann) do bhí ag gabháil leo, agus an phacáid ina mbeidh páipéirí ballóide diúltuithe, agus ráiteas, sa bhfuirm a bheidh orduithe ag an Aire, ina dtaisbeánfar an uimhir de pháipéirí ballóide do cuireadh chun post-vótálaithe agus ina dtabharfar, maidir leis na páipéirí ballóide sin, na sonnraí a hiarrfar leis an bhfuirm;
(d) séalóidh i bpacáidí ar leithligh na páipéirí ballóide cóimhrithe agus na páipéirí ballóide diúltuithe agus (gan na pacáidí séaluithe d'oscailt ina mbeidh fé seach na páipéirí ballóide tairgthe, an chóip mharcálta den rolla de thoghthóirí agus na có-dhuillí) cromfaidh ar fhíorú do dhéanamh ar an gcuntas páipéirí ballóide bheidh tugtha ag gach oifigeach ceannais fé leith tréna chur i gcomparáid leis an uimhir de pháipéirí ballóide bheidh curtha ar breacadh aige, na páipéirí ballóide neamhúsáidthe agus na paipéirí ballóide loitithe, agus an liost de vótaí tairgthe agus, tar éis dó gach pacáid scrúduithe d'athshéalú, ullmhóidh tuarascbháil ina luadhfar toradh an fhíoruithe sin;
(e) cuirfidh go dtí ceann cóimhrimh an reifrinn na pacáidí uile (agus pacáidí séaluithe gan oscailt d'áireamh), na cun tais páipéirí ballóide uile agus na liostaí uile de vótaí tairgthe a luaidhtear sa mhír dheiridh sin roimhe seo den riail seo, agus fós an tuarascbháil a bheidh ullmhuithe de bhun na míre sin, tar éis dó cúlscríbhinn do chur ar gach pacáid den tsórt san ina dtabharfar tuairisc ar a lánas, comharthú ar an reifreann lena mbainfidh an céanna, agus ainm a dháilcheanntair.
Cuid II.
Feidhmeanna Cheann Cóimhrimh an Reifrinn:
32.—(1) Chó luath agus gheobhaidh ceann cóimhrimh an reifrinn o gach ceann cóimhrimh áitiúil fé leith an tuarascbháil i dtaobh na n-uimhreach de vótaí do caitheadh ina dháilcheanntar, ullmhóidh ceann cóimhrimh an reifrinn o na tuarascbhála san, agus sighneoidh, an deimhniú reifrinn sealadach sa bhfuirm orduithe ina luadhfar:—
(a) i gcás reifrinn bhunreachta, an uimhir de vótaí do caitheadh i bhfábhar an togra is abhar don reifreann, an uimhir de vótaí do caitheadh i gcoinnibh an togra san, agus cé aca bhí tromlach na vótaí do caitheadh sa reifreann i bhfábhar an togra san no ná raibh;
(b) i gcás gnáth-reifrinn, an uimhir de vótaí do caitheadh i bhfábhar an togra is abhar don reifreann, an uimhir de vótaí do caitheadh i gcoinnibh an togra san, agus, más mó an uimhir de vótaí do caitheadh i gcoinnibh an togra san ná an uimhir de vótaí do caitheadh i bhfábhar an togra san, an líon iomlán de thogthóirí Dála sa rolla de thoghthóirí i bhfeidhm de thurus na huaire, agus cé aca is lugha no nach lugha an uimhir de vótaí do caitheadh i gcoinnibh an togra san ná trí tríochad agus trian per cent. den líon iomlán san de thoghthóirí Dála, agus in aon chás cé aca diúltuíodh don togra san sa reifreann san no nár diúltuíodh;
(c) i ngach cás eile an uimhir de vótaí do thuairisc cinn chóimhrimh áitiúla do caitheadh i ngach dáilcheanntar fé leith i bhfábhar an togra is abhar don reifreann agus an uimhir de vótaí do tuairiscíodh amhlaidh do caitheadh i ngach dáilcheanntar fé leith i gcoinnibh an togra san.
(2) Chó luath agus is féidir é tar éis dó an deimhniú reifrinn sealadach do shighniú, foillseoidh ceann cóimhrimh an reifrinn san Iris Oifigiúil cóip den deimhniú san maraon le ráiteas á rá go mbeidh an deimhniú san ina dheimhniú dheiridh nach féidir a chonspóid nuair a chuirfidh Máistir na hArd-Chúirte in úil dó ná dearnadh aon achuinge reifrinn do thíolacadh go cuibhe ina thaobh no go bhfuil gach achuinge den tsórt san do tíolacadh amhlaidh tagtha chun bheith gan bhrí gan bhrí gan éifeacht.
(3) Nuair a thiocfaidh deimhniú reifrinn sealadach chun bheith ina dheimhniú dheiridh ar shlí seachas tréna dhaingniú ag an Ard-Chúirt, cúlscríobhfaidh ceann cóimhrimh an reifrinn ráiteas ar an deimhniú san á rá go bhfuil sé tagtha amhlaidh chun bheith ina dheimhniú dheiridh agus cuirfidh cóip de chun an Taoisigh.
(4) Nuair a bheidh deimhniú reifrinn sealadach daingnithe no nuair is tuigthe é bheith daingnithe ag an Ard-Chúirt agus a cuirfear thar n-ais go dtí ceann cóimhrimh an reifrinn é agus ráiteas cúlscríobhtha air do réir an Achta so á rá é bheith daingnithe amhlaidh, cuirfidh ceann cóimhrimh an reifrinn cóip den deimhniú san chun an Taoisigh.
33.—(1) Fé réir forálacha na míreanna ina dhiaidh seo den riail seo, déanfaidh ceann cóimhrimh an reifrinn na tuarascbhála, na scríbhinní agus na pacáidí uile chuirfidh ceann cóimhrimh áitiúil chuige maidir le reifreann do choimeád go ceann sé mhí o dháta an deimhnithe reifrinn shealadaigh i dtaobh an reifrinn sin do theacht chun bheith ina dheimhniú dheiridh agus dítheoidh ansan na tuarascbhála, na pacáidí agus na scríbhinní sin uile.
(2) I gcás an t-aon lá amháin do bheith ina lá vótaíochta i dhá reifreann no níos mó, déanfaidh ceann cóimhrimh an reifrinn, d'ainneoin éinní atá sa mhír dheiridh sin roimhe seo den riail seo agus fé réir forálacha na céad mhíre eile den riail seo, na tuarascbhála agus na scríbhinní agus na pacáidí uile luaidhtear sa mhír dheiridh sin roimhe seo agus a bhainfidh le haon cheann no níos mó de na reifrinn sin do choimeád go ceann sé mhí o dháta na ndeimhnithe reifrinn sealadacha uile agus fé seach i daobh na reifreann san fé seach do theacht chun bheith ina ndeimhnithe deiridh.
(3) An oblagáid a cuirtear ar cheann chóimhrimh an reifrinn leis na míreanna san roimhe seo den riail seo chun tuarascbhála, scríbhinní agus pacáidí do choimeád tá sí fé réir na hoblagáide agus gan dochar don oblagáid a cuirtear air leis an Acht so chun na tuarascbhála, na scríbhinní agus na pacáidí sin do thabhairt ar áird agus do sheachadadh don Ard-Chúirt le linn achuinge reifrinn d'éisteacht.
34.—D'ainneoin éinní atá sa riail deiridh sin roimhe seo, ní hosclófar aon phacáid séaluithe de chó-dhuillí uair ar bith ná ní hiniúchfar aon chó-dhuille ná aon pháipéar ballóide cóimhrithe uair ar bith ach amháin fé réim agus do réir orduithe ón Ard-Chúirt fé Chuid III den Acht so.
Cuid III.
Generálta.
35.—I gcás ina gceangaltar ar cheann chóimhrimh an reifrinn no ar cheann chóimhrimh áitiúil no ina n-údaruítear dó, leis an Acht so, aon fhógra puiblí do thabhairt, déanfaidh, mara n-orduítear slí éigin eile leis an Acht so, an fógra san do thabhairt le pé fógráin, placárdaí, láimhbhillí, no eile is dóich leis is fearr chun eolas do thabhairt do na vótálaithe.
36.—Ní fhostóidh ceann cóimhrimh an reifrinn ná ceann cóimhrimh áitiúil éinne do bhí ar fostú ag duine ar bith eile sa reifreann no ina thaobh no i ndéanamh na vótaíochta no ina thaobh.
AN DARA SCEIDEAL.
FUIRMEACHA NA BPAIPEIRI BALLOIDE.
I.
FUIRM AN PHAIPEIR BHALLOIDE I GCAS GAN ACH AON REIFREANN AMHAIN DO BHEITH A THOGAINT.
FUIRM EADAN AN PHAIPEIR BHALLOIDE.
Cé aca aontuíonn tú no ná haontuíonn tú le dlí do dhéanamh den Togra luaidhtear sa chéad cholún anso thíos?
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Treoracha i dtaobh an paipear so do mharcail.
Má aontuíonn tú le dlí do dhéanamh den Togra luaidhtear sa chéad cholún thuas, cuir an marc “x” sa cholún thuas dar mírcheann “Aontuím”.
Mara n-aontuíonn tú le dlí do dhéanamh den Togra san, cuir an marc “x” sa cholún thuas dar mírcheann “Ní aontuím”.
FUIRM CHUL AN PHAIPEIR BHALLOIDE.
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Nóta.—Ní foláir an uimhir ar chúl an pháipéir bhallóide do bheith ar có-réir leis an uimhir ar an gcó-dhuille.
II.
FUIRM AN PHAIPEIR BHALLOIDE I GCAS DHA REIFREANN NO NIOS MO DO BHEITH A DTOGAINT AN tAON LA AMHAIN.
FUIRM EADAN AN PHAIPEIR BHALLOIDE.
I gcás gach Togra fé leith dá luaidhtear sa chéad cholún anso thíos, cé aca aontuíonn tú no ná haontuíonn tú le dlí do dhéanamh den Togra?
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Treoracha i dtaobh an paipear so do mharcail.
Ní mór duit vóta ar leith do thabhairt i dtaobh gach ceann fé leith de na Tograí luaidhtear sa chéad cholún thuas, ach níl d'fhiachaibh ort vóta do thabhairt i dtaobh na dTograí sin go léir.
Má aontuíonn tú le dlí do dhéanamh d'aon cheann de na Tograí luaidhtear sa chéad cholún thuas, cuir an marc “x” sa cholún thuas dar mírcheann “Aontuím” os coinne gach Togra fé leith lena n-aontuíonn tú amhlaidh.
Mara n-aontuíonn tú le dlí do dhéanamh d'aon cheann no níos mó de na Tograí sin, cuir an marc “x” sa cholún thuas dar mírcheann “Ní aontuím” os coinne gach Togra fé leith ná baontuíonn tú leis amhlaidh.
FUIRM CHUL AN PHAIPEIR BHALLOIDE.
Uimhir............. | Reifrinn i dtaobh na dTograí seo leanas, | |
Dáilcheanntar | eadhon:— | |
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Nóta.—Ní foláir an uimhir ar chúl an pháipéir bhallóide do bheith ar có-réir leis an uimhir ar an gcó-dhuille.
AN TRIU SCEIDEAL.
ATHGHAIRM.
Uimhir agus Bliain | Gearr-theideal | Méid na hAthghairme |
Cuid V, agus an Seachtú Sceideal. | ||
Alt 23. |
Number 8 of 1942.
REFERENDUM ACT, 1942.
ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS
Preliminary and General.
Section | |
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2. | |
3. | |
4. | |
5. | |
6. | |
7. | Statement by registration officers of the number of Dáil electors. |
The Poll at a Referendum.
Power to appoint the same polling day for a general election and a constitutional referendum. | |
Application of the Prevention of Electoral Abuses Act, 1923. | |
Referendum Petitions.
Production of documents by the referendum returning officer. | |
Provisions in respect of referenda having the same polling day. | |
Rules for taking the Poll at a Referendum.
Forms of Ballot Papers.
Repeals.
Acts Referred to | |
No. 12 of 1923 | |
No. 38 of 1923 | |
No. 27 of 1926 | |
No. 48 of 1936 | |
No. 5 of 1935 | |
Number 8 of 1942.
REFERENDUM ACT, 1942.
PART I.
Preliminary and General.
Short title.
1.—This Act may be cited as the Referendum Act, 1942.
Definitions.
2.—In this Act—
the expression “the Minister” means the Minister for Local Government and Public Health;
the expression “constitutional referendum” means a referendum on a proposal for the amendment of the Constitution;
the expression “ordinary referendum” means a referendum on a proposal other than a proposal for the amendment of the Constitution;
the word “referendum”, when used without qualification, includes both a constitutional referendum and an ordinary referendum;
the expression “general election” means a general election of members of Dáil Eireann consequent on a dissolution of Dáil Eireann;
the expression “Dáil elector” means a person entitled to vote at a Dáil election;
the expression “Dáil election” means an election of a member or members of Dáil Eireann;
the word “prescribed” means prescribed by regulations made by the Minister under this Act.
Regulations.
3.—The Minister may make regulations prescribing any matter or thing which is referred to in this Act as prescribed or to be prescribed.
Expenses.
4.—The expenses incurred by the Minister in the administration of this Act shall, to such extent as may be sanctioned by the Minister for Finance, be paid out of moneys provided by the Oireachtas.
Repeals.
5.—The enactments mentioned in the Third Schedule to this Act are hereby repealed to the extent specified in the third column of that Schedule.
The referendum returning officer.
6.—(1) As soon as may be after the passing of this Act and from time to time thereafter as occasion requires, the Minister shall appoint a fit and proper person to be the referendum returning officer for the purposes of this Act.
(2) It shall be the duty of the referendum returning officer to conduct the referendum for which he is appointed, to ascertain and declare the result of the voting thereon in accordance with this Act, and to do such other things in respect of such referendum as he is required by this Act to do.
(3) There shall be charged on and paid out of the Central Fund or the growing produce thereof to the referendum returning officer such sums as the Minister for Finance shall sanction for his services and expenses in respect of every referendum conducted by him.
Statement by registration officers of the number of Dáil electors.
7.—(1) As soon as may be after the passing of this Act, every registration officer shall send to the referendum returning officer a statement in the prescribed form of the number of Dáil electors registered in the register of electors then in force in each constituency or portion of a constituency in the registration area of such registration officer.
(2) Whenever after the passing of this Act a register of electors comes into force, every registration officer shall forthwith send to the referendum returning officer a statement in the prescribed form of the number of Dáil electors registered in the register of electors in each constituency or part of a constituency in the registration area of such registration officer.
(3) Whenever the number of Dáil electors which is the subject of a statement sent by a registration officer to the referendum returning officer in pursuance of this section becomes altered by the decision of appeals, correction of errors, or any other cause, such registration officer shall forthwith communicate to the referendum returning officer the fact of such alteration and the particulars thereof.
PART II.
The Poll at a Referendum.
The polling day at a constitutional referendum.
8.—(1) Whenever a bill containing a proposal for the amendment of the Constitution shall have been passed or be deemed to have been passed by both Houses of the Oireachtas it shall be lawful for the Minister to appoint by order the day (in this Act also referred to as the polling day) upon which the polling at the referendum on such proposal shall take place.
(2) The polling day appointed by an order made by the Minister under this section shall not be less than thirty days and not more than ninety days after the date of such order.
(3) Every order made by the Minister under this section shall be published in the Iris Oifigiúil as soon as may be after it is made.
Power to appoint the same polling day for a general election and a constitutional referendum.
9.—(1) Whenever a Bill containing a proposal for the amendment of the Constitution shall have been passed, or deemed to have been passed, by both Houses of the Oireachtas, and Dáil Eireann is dissolved before the Minister has made under the next preceding section an order appointing the polling day at the referendum on such proposal, the Minister, if he so thinks fit, may (notwithstanding anything contained in the said next preceding section) appoint by his order under that section the polling day at the general election consequent on such dissolution of Dáil Eireann to be the polling day at such referendum.
(2) Whenever a Bill containing a proposal for the amendment of the Constitution shall have been passed, or deemed to have been passed, by both Houses of the Oireachtas, and Dáil Eireann is dissolved after the Minister has made his order (in this sub-section referred to as the original order) under the next preceding section in relation to the referendum on such proposal and before the polling day appointed by that order, the Minister, if he so thinks fit, may by order amend the original order by substituting the day which is the polling day at the general election consequent on such dissolution of Dáil Eireann for the day named in the original order as the polling day at such referendum.
The polling day at an ordinary referendum.
10.—(1) Whenever—
(a) the President informs the Taoiseach in accordance with Article 27 of the Constitution that he has decided that a bill to which that Article applies contains a proposal of such national importance that the will of the people thereon ought to be ascertained, and
(b) the Government determines that a referendum for the purpose of ascertaining the will of the people on such proposal shall be taken,
the Minister shall, within one week after such determination by the Government, appoint by order the day (in this Act also referred to as the polling day) upon which the polling at such referendum shall take place.
(2) The polling day appointed by an order made by the Minister under this section shall not be less than thirty days and not more than ninety days after the date of such order.
(3) Whenever the Government determines than an ordinary referendum shall be taken, the Government shall cause notice of such determination to be published in the Iris Oifigiúil, and thereupon such publication shall be conclusive evidence of such determination.
(4) Every order made by the Minister under this section shall be published in the Iris Oifigiúil as soon as may be after it is made.
Method of taking the poll at a referendum.
11.—The following provisions shall have effect in relation to the taking of the poll at a referendum, that is to say:—
(a) save as is otherwise provided by this Act, the poll shall be taken on one day only and that day shall be the same throughout the State and shall be the day appointed by the order of the Minister under this Act to be the polling day at such referendum;
(b) the poll shall commence at nine o'clock in the forenoon and shall be kept open until nine o'clock in the afternoon and no longer;
(c) for the purpose of taking the poll, the State shall be deemed to be divided into the same constituencies as those into which it is for· the time being divided for the purpose of the election of members of Dáil Eireann, and the poll shall be taken separately in each such constituency;
(d) the person who would be the returning officer at a Dáil election in any such constituency shall be the returning officer (in this Act referred to as the local returning officer) in such constituency for the purpose of the poll and, where such person is a county registrar, sub-section (7) of section 40 of the Court Officers Act, 1926 (No. 27 of 1926), shall apply and have effect;
(e) each voter at the poll shall record his vote in the constituency in which he would be entitled to vote at a general election of members of Dáil Eireann
(f) each such constituency shall be deemed to be divided for the purpose of the poll into the same polling districts as those into which it is for the time being divided for the purpose of a Dáil election, and the places which are for the time being appointed as polling places in each such polling district for the purpose of a Dáil election shall be the polling places for the purpose of taking the poll;
(g) it shall be the duty of every local returning officer to conduct the taking of the poll in his constituency in accordance with this Act, and for that purpose to provide such polling stations, ballot boxes, ballot papers, stamping instruments, copies of the register of electors and other things, appoint and pay such officers and do such other acts and things as may be necessary for effectually taking the poll in his constituency in accordance with this Act;
(h) every local returning officer shall, in relation to the taking of the poll in his constituency, comply with the provisions of this Act, the rules contained in the First Schedule to this Act, and the orders made and instructions given by the Minister under this Act.
Local returning officers' expenses.
12.—(1) Every local returning officer at the taking of the poll at a referendum shall be entitled to his reasonable charges, not exceeding the sums specified in the scale of maximum charges framed under this section, in respect of services and expenses of the several kinds mentioned in the said scale which have been properly rendered or incurred by him for the purposes or in connection with the taking of such poll.
(2) The amount of the charges mentioned in the foregoing sub-section of this section of a local returning officer shall be paid by the Minister for Finance out of the Central Fund or the growing produce thereof on an account to be submitted to him by such returning officer in accordance with regulations to be made by the said Minister under this section, but the said Minister may, if he thinks fit, before payment of the charges of any local returning officer, apply to a judge of the Circuit Court having jurisdiction in the constituency of such returning officer for the taxation of such account and thereupon such judge shall cause such account to be taxed and the amount payable thereunder to be determined by the county registrar.
(3) The Minister for Finance may, if he so thinks fit, on the application of a local returning officer, make to such officer, on such terms as the said Minister shall think proper, an advance on account of the charges payable to such returning officer under this section.
(4) The taxation under this section of the account of a local returning officer shall, if the judge so directs on the application of such returning officer, include the taxation and determination of the amount of any claim made by any person against such returning officer in respect of any matter charged for in such account.
(5) The Minister for Finance shall prescribe for the purposes of this section a scale of maximum charges and may revise such scale as and when he thinks fit, and may also make regulations as to the time when and the manner and form in which accounts are to be rendered to him by local returning officers for the purposes of the payment of such charges.
Restrictions on persons entitled to vote at the poll.
13.—(1) No person shall be entitled to vote in any constituency at the poll at a referendum unless he is registered as a Dáil elector in the register of electors for the time being in force for such constituency.
(2) No person who has not attained the age of twenty-one years shall be entitled to vote at the poll at a referendum.
(3) No person shall be entitled to vote more than once (whether in the same constituency or in different constituencies) at the poll at a referendum, but subject to that limitation, every person who is registered as a Dáil elector in the register of electors for the time being in force for a constituency shall (save as is otherwise provided by this section) be entitled to demand and receive a ballot paper and to vote in such constituency at such poll.
(4) No person who is for the time being prohibited by law from voting at a Dáil election shall be entitled to receive a ballot paper or to vote at the poll at a referendum, and every person who votes at such poll while he is so prohibited shall be liable to the same penalties as those for which he would be liable if he voted at a Dáil election.
The ballot papers.
14.—(1) The votes at the poll at a referendum shall be given by ballot and the ballot of each voter shall consist of a paper (in this Act called a ballot paper).
(2) Every ballot paper shall have a number printed on the back thereof and shall have attached a counterfoil with the same number printed on the face thereof and shall be capable of being folded up.
(3) Every ballot paper shall, at the time of issue thereof, be marked on both sides with an official mark either stamped or perforated.
(4) The referendum returning officer shall be responsible for the printing and procuring of a sufficient quantity of ballot papers and it shall be his duty to supply to every local returning officer such number of ballot papers as such officer shall reasonably require.
Form of ballot papers.
15.—(1) Every ballot paper at a referendum shall be in whichever of the forms set out in the Second Schedule to this Act is applicable.
(2) Where the same day is the polling day at two or more referenda, then and in such case (save as is otherwise provided by the next following sub-section of this section) separate ballot papers shall not be issued for such referenda and, in lieu thereof, every ballot paper at such referenda shall be so framed that the voter shall be able to record thereby a separate vote in respect of each such referendum.
(3) Where the same day is the polling day at two or more referenda and the Minister is of opinion that it is for any reason impracticable or inexpedient to comply with the next preceding sub-section of this section in regard to those referenda, the following provisions shall apply and have effect, that is to say:—
(a) the Minister may direct that separate ballot papers shall be issued for one or more or all of such referenda;
(b) where the Minister gives such direction as is authorised by the foregoing paragraph of this sub-section, separate ballot papers shall, notwithstanding anything contained in the said next preceding sub-section, be issued in accordance with that direction;
(c) where the Minister gives such direction as aforesaid and such direction does not apply to all of such referenda, then and in such case, if there is only one of such referenda to which such direction does not apply, separate ballot papers shall be issued for that one of such referenda, and, if there are two or more of such referenda to which such direction does not apply, the said next preceding sub-section shall apply and have effect in relation to those two or more of such referenda.
(4) Every ballot paper in respect of one referendum shall contain a statement of the proposal which is the subject of such referendum, and every ballot paper in respect of two or more referenda having the same polling day shall contain, in respect of each such referendum, a statement of the proposal which is the subject of such referendum.
(5) At a constitutional referendum, the proposal which is the subject thereof shall be stated on the ballot paper in the same terms as nearly as may be as such proposal is stated in the bill containing such proposal passed or deemed to have been passed by both Houses of the Oireachtas.
(6) At an ordinary referendum, the proposal which is the subject thereof shall be stated on the ballot paper in the same terms as nearly as may be as such proposal is stated in the writing under the hand and seal of the President sent by him to the Taoiseach.
Method of marking a vote on a ballot paper.
16.—(1) Every voter at the poll at a referendum shall record his vote by marking his ballot paper in accordance with the instructions for marking which are printed on the ballot paper.
(2) Any ballot paper—
(a) which does not bear the official mark, or
(b) on which no vote is placed at all, or
(c) on which the vote is not so placed as to indicate that the voter approves or does not approve of the proposal which is the subject of such referendum, or
(d) on which votes are given both for and against such proposal, or
(e) on which anything by which the voter can be identified (except the number required by law to be printed on the back of the ballot paper) is written or marked,
shall be invalid and shall not be counted.
(3) Where a ballot paper is not invalid under any of the provisions of the next preceding sub-section of this section, such ballot paper shall not be invalid merely because it does not comply with the instructions for marking which are printed thereon, and in particular shall not be invalid because the mark “x” is not used in marking such paper, provided such paper is so marked as to indicate with reasonable certainty the will of the voter.
(4) Where a ballot paper relates to two or more referenda and a vote is properly recorded thereon in respect of one or more but not all of such referenda, such ballot paper, if not otherwise invalid, shall be valid for the purposes of the referendum or referenda in respect of which a vote is properly recorded thereon and invalid and not counted for the purposes of the referendum or referenda in respect of which a vote is not recorded thereon or is improperly recorded thereon.
Personation agents.
17.—(1) Any member of Dáil Eireann or of Seanad Eireann may appoint a person (in this Act referred to as a personation agent) to attend at a particular polling station at a referendum for the purpose of assisting in the detection of persons committing or attempting to commit the offence of personation.
(2) A member of Dáil Eireann or of Seanad Eireann may appoint under this section, in respect of any referendum, personation agents at as many polling stations as he thinks fit, but no one member of Dáil Eireann or of Seanad Eireann shall appoint more than one personation agent in respect of any one polling station.
(3) A member of Dáil Eireann or of Seanad Eireann appointing under this section a personation agent in respect of a polling station shall, not less than forty-eight hours before the commencement of the poll, furnish in writing to the local returning officer in the constituency in which such polling station is situate the name of such personation agent and the name or description of the polling station in respect of which he is appointed.
(4) Every personation agent duly appointed under this section and of whose appointment notice is duly given in accordance with the next preceding sub-section of this section shall be entitled to attend in the polling station to which he is so appointed during the whole of the time for which the poll is open and during half an hour before and half an hour after that time.
(5) No personation agent shall, while the poll remains open, leave the polling station to which he is appointed without previously obtaining the permission of the presiding officer or without depositing with the presiding officer for the duration of his absence all registers, books, and documents in which he has made any note, writing, or mark during the poll.
(6) Any personation agent who leaves a polling station in contravention of this section shall not be permitted to return to such polling station until after the close of the poll and shall also be guilty of an offence under this section and shall be liable on summary conviction thereof to a fine not exceeding twenty-five pounds or, at the discretion of the Court, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months.
(7) Where the polling day at a constitutional referendum is also the polling day at a general election, the following provisions shall apply and have effect, that is to say:—
(a) the powers conferred by the foregoing provisions of this section on a member of Dáil Eireann shall be exercisable by any person who was a member of Dáil Eireann immediately before the dissolution which occasioned such general election, and
(b) every person appointed under section 22 of the Prevention of Electoral Abuses Act, 1923 (No. 38 of 1923), to be a personation agent for the purposes of such general election at a polling station in a constituency in which a poll is taken at such general election shall be deemed to have been appointed under this section to be a personation agent at such polling station for the purposes of such referendum, and the foregoing provisions of this section shall apply to him accordingly.
Appointment of presiding officers.
18.—(1) Every local returning officer at a referendum shall appoint, in respect of every polling station in his constituency, a fit and proper person to be the presiding officer in such polling station.
(2) Every presiding officer appointed under this section shall have in his polling station all the powers and duties conferred or imposed by this Act on a presiding officer.
Keeping of order in polling stations.
19.—If, at the poll at a referendum, any person misconducts himself in a polling station or fails to obey the lawful orders of the presiding officer, he may immediately by order of the presiding officer be removed from such polling station by any member of the Gárda Síochana or by any person authorised in writing by the presiding officer to remove him, and the person so removed shall not, unless with the permission of the presiding officer, again be allowed to enter such polling station during the poll.
Postal voters.
20.—(1) Every person whose name is, at the time of the poll at a referendum, on the postal voters' list for a constituency shall be entitled to vote in that constituency at the poll at such referendum by sending his ballot paper by post to the local returning officer for the said constituency and shall not be entitled to vote at such referendum in any other manner.
(2) Every local returning officer shall, as soon as practicable after the date of the order of the Minister appointing the polling day at a referendum, send to every person who is on the postal voters' list for his constituency a ballot paper and a declaration of identity in the prescribed form.
(3) If a ballot paper sent to any person under the next preceding sub-section of this section is returned to the local returning officer duly marked by the said person and is accompanied by the declaration of identity duly signed and authenticated and is received by such returning officer before the close of the poll, such ballot paper shall be treated and counted by such returning officer in the same manner as a ballot paper placed in the ballot box in the ordinary way.
(4) In sending out, receiving, and otherwise dealing with the ballot papers of postal voters, every local returning officer shall observe and comply with the law (so far as it is not inconsistent with this Act) for the time being regulating the sending out, receiving and otherwise dealing with the ballot papers of postal voters at a Dáil election.
Questions and oaths at the poll at a referendum.
21.—(1) No question, inquiry, or objection shall be put, made, or permitted during the poll at a referendum as to the right of any person to vote, and no objection to the right of any person to vote shall be made or received by any presiding officer at such poll save only that the presiding officer may, and, if so required by a personation agent, shall put to any person at the time of his applying for a ballot paper and not afterwards the following questions, or any two or one of them, viz.:—
(i) Are you the same person as the person whose name appears as A B on the register of electors now in force for the constituency of___________________________
(ii) Have you already voted at this referendum?
(iii) Have you attained the age of twenty-one years?
And unless such of those questions as are put to such person are answered, in the case of the first and third of those questions, in the affirmative and, in the case of the second of those questions, in the negative that person shall not vote.
(2) A presiding officer at the poll at a referendum may, and, if so required by a personation agent, shall administer to any person at the time of his applying for a ballot paper and not afterwards an oath or (in the case of any person who objects to take an oath on the ground that he has no religious belief or that the taking of an oath is contrary to his religious belief) an affirmation in the following form:—
“I swear by Almighty God (or I, A B, do solemnly, sincerely and truly declare and affirm— as the case may be) that I am the same person as the person whose name appears as A B on the register of electors now in force for the constituency of ________________________ and that I have not already voted at this referendum, and that I have attained the age of twenty-one years.”
(3) Save as is mentioned in this section, it shall not be lawful at the poll at a referendum to require any person to take any oath or affirmation either in respect of his right to vote or any other matter whatsoever.
(4) It shall not be lawful to reject any vote tendered at a referendum by any person whose name appears as a Dáil elector upon the register of electors in force for the time being except by reason of its appearing to the presiding officer upon putting the questions aforesaid, or any two or one of them, that the person so claiming to vote is not the person whose name appears on such register as aforesaid, or that such person has already voted at that referendum or that such person has not attained the age of twenty-one years or except by reason of such person refusing to answer the said questions, or any two or one of them, or to take the said oath or make the said affirmation.
(5) Where the same day is the polling day at two or more referenda, the following provisions shall have effect, that is to say:—
(a) in the questions and oath authorised by this section the words “any of these referenda” shall be substituted for the words “this referendum”;
(b) a person who applies for a ballot paper shall be deemed to tender his vote at all the said referenda;
(c) subject to the provisions of this Act in relation to a voter who inadvertently spoils his ballot paper, a voter who receives a ballot paper shall not be entitled to receive another ballot paper on the ground that he did not record on the said ballot paper a vote in respect of all the said referenda.
Infringement of secrecy.
22.—(1) Every officer, clerk, and person employed or in attendance at a polling station at the poll at a referendum shall maintain, and aid in maintaining, the secrecy of the voting in such station, and shall not, except for some purpose authorised by law, communicate before the poll is closed to any person any information as to the name or number on the register of electors of any voter who has or has not applied for a ballot paper or voted at that station, or as to the official mark, and no such officer, clerk or person, and no other person whosoever, shall interfere with or attempt to interfere with a voter when marking his vote, or otherwise attempt to obtain in the polling station information as to the manner in which any voter in such station is about to vote or has voted, or communicate at any time to any person any information obtained in a polling station as to the manner in which any voter in such station is about to vote or has voted, or as to the number on the back of the ballot paper given to any voter at such station.
(2) Every officer, clerk, and person employed or in attendance at the opening of the ballot boxes or the counting of the votes by a local returning officer at a referendum shall maintain and aid in maintaining the secrecy of the voting, and shall not attempt to ascertain at such opening or counting the number on the back of any ballot paper, or communicate any information obtained at such opening or counting as to the manner in which any vote is given in any particular ballot paper.
(3) Every officer, clerk, and person concerned in or present at the issue of ballot papers to postal voters or the receipt of ballot papers from postal voters at a referendum shall maintain, and aid in maintaining the secrecy of the voting by such voters, and shall not, except for some purpose authorised by law, communicate before the poll is closed to any person any information as to the name or number on the register of electors of any postal voter to or from whom any ballot paper has been sent or received, or as to the official mark, and no such officer, clerk, or person, and no other person whosoever shall interfere with, or attempt to interfere with, the receipt, marking, or return of his ballot paper by any postal voter at a referendum or attempt to obtain information as to the manner in which any such voter has voted, or communicate at any time to any person any information obtained in connection with the issue or receipt of ballot papers to or from postal voters at a referendum as to the manner in which any such voter has voted or as to the number on the back of the ballot paper sent to any such voter.
(4) No person shall directly or indirectly induce any voter at a referendum to display his ballot paper after he shall have marked the same so as to make known to such person or to any other person the manner in which such voter has marked his vote.
(5) Every person who by any act or omission contravenes any of the provisions of this section shall be guilty of an offence under this section and shall be liable on summary conviction thereof to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months.
Proceedings in case of riot at the poll.
23.—(1) If and whenever, at a referendum, the polling at any polling place is wholly prevented or is interrupted or obstructed by riot or open violence or persons are prevented by riot or open violence from proceeding to a polling place, the local returning officer in the constituency in which such polling place is situate shall adjourn the polling at such polling place to the next following day which is not a Sunday, Good Friday, Christmas Day, or a bank holiday and shall, if necessary, further adjourn such polling until such riot or open violence has ceased.
(2) Whenever the polling at one or more polling places in a constituency at a referendum is adjourned under this section, the local returning officer in such constituency shall not open any of the ballot boxes used at any polling place in such constituency until the polling at all such places has been completed.
Destruction, etc.. of ballot boxes or ballot papers.
24.—If at the poll at a referendum any ballot boxes or ballot papers are taken out of the custody of the local returning officer or a presiding officer or are in any way tampered with or are either accidentally or intentionally destroyed or (in the case of ballot papers) are maliciously torn or defaced, the following provisions shall have effect, that is to say:—
(a) the polling at every polling place at which any of such ballot boxes or ballot papers were used shall be void;
(b) the local returning officer for the constituency in which such ballot boxes or ballot papers were used shall forthwith inform the Minister of such polling having so become void;
(c) upon receipt of such information, the Minister shall forth-with take all such steps and give all such directions as he shall think proper for the taking of a fresh poll at every such polling place;
(d) a fresh poll shall be taken at every such polling place in accordance with the directions given by the Minister;
(e) this Act shall apply in respect of such fresh poll in like manner as it applies to the original poll.
Use of schools and other buildings.
25.—(1) For the purpose of taking the poll at a referendum, a local returning officer may use, free of charge, any room in a school receiving a grant out of moneys provided by the Oireachtas, and any room the expense of maintaining which is payable out of any local rate, and may, where no such room is available, hire a building or room.
(2) Whenever a local returning officer uses free of charge a room under the foregoing sub-section of this section, he may defray any expenses incurred by the person having control of such room on account of its being so used and shall pay for any damage done to such room while it is so used.
(3) The use or hire under this section by a local returning officer of a room in an unoccupied building shall not render any person liable to be rated or to pay any rate in respect of such building.
(4) A person having charge of a school adjoining or adjacent to or forming part of a church or a convent or other religious establishment may, within twenty-four hours after receiving from the local returning officer notice of such officer's intention to use such school or any part thereof under this section, object to such use by sending a written statement of such objection to such returning officer, and thereupon it shall not be lawful for such returning officer so to use such school or any part thereof unless or until such objection is overruled by the Minister on the application of such returning officer.
Use of local government ballot boxes, etc.
26.—Where any constituency comprises the whole or any part of any local government electoral area, any ballot boxes, fittings for polling stations, and compartments provided for local government elections in such electoral area may be used for the poll at a referendum in such constituency, and it shall be the duty of the local returning officer at any such poll in such constituency to make use so far as practicable of the ballot boxes, fittings, and compartments aforesaid, and the court upon taxation of his accounts shall have regard to the provisions of this section, and any damage other than reasonable wear and tear caused to any such ballot boxes, fittings, and compartments by such user at any such poll shall be paid as part of the expenses of such local returning officer.
Prohibition of disclosure, etc.
27.—No person who has voted at a referendum shall be required in any legal proceeding to state the manner in which he has voted at such referendum.
Special provisions where a general election and a constitutional referendum have the same polling day.
28.—Whenever the polling day at a constitutional referendum is also the polling day at a general election, the following provisions shall (notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Act) apply and have effect in every constituency in which a poll is taken at such general election, that is to say:—
(a) the poll at such referendum shall be taken at the same time, in the same places, by the same persons, and in the same manner as the poll at such general election;
(b) the same official mark shall be used for the ballot papers at such referendum as is used for the ballot papers at such general election;
(c) the ballot papers at such general election shall not be of the same colour as the ballot papers at such referendum, and for that purpose white shall be deemed to be a colour;
(d) the ballot paper for such referendum shall be handed to each voter or, in the case of voters on the postal voters lists, sent to each voter at the same time as the ballot paper for such general election is handed or sent to him;
(e) the returning officer may, if he so thinks proper, provide separáte ballot boxes for the ballot papers for such referendum and for the ballot papers for such general election;
(f) if such separate boxes are so provided, a ballot paper for such referendum shall not be invalid by reason only of its being put into a ballot box provided for ballot papers for such general election, and a ballot paper for such general election shall not be invalid by reason only of its being put into a ballot box provided for ballot papers for such referendum;
(g) if such separate ballot boxes are not so provided, the ballot papers for such referendum and the ballot papers for such general election shall be put into the same ballot boxes.
Application of the Prevention of Electoral Abuses Act, 1923.
29.—(1) The following portions of the Prevention of Electoral Abuses Act, 1923 (No. 38 of 1923), shall apply and have effect in relation to every referendum, that is to say:—
(a) Part I, except section 7;
(b) in Part II, sections 9, 10, 13, and 15;
(c) in Part III, sections 25 and 26;
(d) in Part VIII, sections 44, 45, 46, 49, 52, 53, and 56.
(2) For the purpose of the application of the said portions of the Prevention of Electoral Abuses Act, 1923 (No. 38 of 1923), to a referendum in pursuance of the foregoing sub-section of this section—
(a) the word “election” wherever it is used without qualification in the said portions of the said Act shall be construed and have effect as including a referendum;
(b) the expression “Dáil election” and the expression “Dáil or Seanad election”, wherever they respectively occur in the said portions of the said Act, shall be construed as including a referendum;
(c) all references in the said portions of the said Act to candidates shall be disregarded;
(d) in sub-sections (2) and (3) of section 2 of the said Act, the words “the return of any person to serve in the Oireachtas or” shall be disregarded;
(e) in sub-section (3) of section 10 of the said Act, the question “Have you already voted at this referendum?” shall be substituted for the question mentioned in that sub-section;
(f) in sections 25 and 26 of the said Act, the expression “personating agent” shall be construed as meaning a personation agent appointed under this Act;
(g) in section 46 of the said Act, the expression “returning officer” shall be construed and have effect as including both the referendum returning officer and a local returning officer;
(h) in section 52 of the said Act, the words “proceedings are held before an election court” shall be construed as meaning the trial before the High Court of a referendum petition, and the words “the report of such court” shall be construed as meaning the final order of the High Court on such trial.
(3) There shall be included in every corrupt and illegal practices list prepared in pursuance of section 43 of the Prevention of Electoral Abuses Act, 1923 (No. 38 of 1923), the names and descriptions of all persons who are convicted by any court of a corrupt or illegal practice within the meaning of the said Act at a referendum.
The provisional referendum certificate.
30.—(1) As soon as may be after the close of the poll at a referendum in any constituency, the local returning officer for that constituency shall, in accordance with the Rules contained in the First Schedule to this Act, count the votes recorded in his constituency and report the result of such counting to the referendum returning officer.
(2) When the referendum returning officer has received from every local returning officer the report of the result of the counting of the votes recorded in his constituency at the poll at a referendum, the referendum returning officer shall prepare, sign, and publish, in accordance with the Rules contained in the First Schedule to this Act, a certificate (in this Act referred to as the provisional referendum certificate) stating the particulars of the voting at such referendum and the result thereof.
(3) When the referendum returning officer is informed in writing by the Master of the High Court in relation to a provisional referendum certificate either that no referendum petition in respect of such certificate has been presented within the time limited by this Act or that every referendum petition presented in respect of such certificate has become null and void, the said provisional referendum certificate shall (save where otherwise provided by this Act) become and be final and incapable of being questioned in any court and shall be conclusive evidence of the voting at the referendum to which such certificate relates and of the result of such referendum.
Punishment of officers guilty of gross negligence.
31.—Every local returning officer, presiding officer, clerk, or other person having duties in connection with the conduct of a referendum in any constituency who commits any wilful or grossly negligent misfeasance or any grossly negligent act or omission in contravention of this Act shall be guilty of an offence under this section and shall be liable on summary conviction thereof to a fine not exceeding one hundred pounds.
Issuing of instructions by the Minister.
32.—(1) The Minister may, whenever he thinks proper so to do, issue to all or any local returning officers or officer such instructions in relation to the conduct of the poll (including the opening of the ballot boxes and the counting of the votes) at a referendum as he shall consider necessary or expedient in order to ensure the smooth and efficient taking of such referendum and to secure uniformity of procedure in regard thereto in all constituencies.
(2) It shall be the duty of every local returning officer to observe and comply with all instructions given to him by the Minister under the next preceding sub-section of this section.
(3) If any difficulty shall arise in the taking of a referendum; the Minister may by order provide for any matter or do any thing not inconsistent with this Act which appears to him to be necessary for the proper taking of such referendum.
(4) No local returning officer shall be required or authorised by an instruction given to him or an order made by the Minister under this section to do any act (whether of ommission or comission) which is contrary to this Act, or which would, directly or indirectly, infringe the secrecy of the ballot.
PART III.
Referendum Petitions.
Definitions in this Part of this Act.
33.—In this Part of this Act—
the expression “corrupt practice” means an offence which is a corrupt practice within the meaning of the Prevention of Electoral Abuses Act, 1923 (No. 38 of 1923),
the expression “duly presented” means, in relation to a referendum petition, that such petition either was presented in accordance with this Part of this Act and did not become null and void after such presentation or was presented by the Attorney-General with the leave of the court under the provision in that behalf contained in this Part of this Act.
Referendum petitions.
34.—(1) A petition (in this Act referred to as a referendum petition) questioning the validity of a provisional referendum certificate may be presented to the High Court in accordance with this Part of this Act by any person authorised by this section so to do.
(2) A referendum petition may question a provisional referendum certificate either—
(a) in respect of the particulars stated in such certificate of the voting in any one constituency, on the ground that corrupt practices prevailed extensively at or in relation to the taking of the referendum in that constituency or on the ground of error or misconduct (whether by act or omission) on the part of the local returning officer for that constituency, or
(b) in respect of the particulars stated in such certificate of the aggregate voting at the referendum as a whole or of the result of the referendum as so stated, on the ground of error on the part of the referendum returning officer or, in the case of an ordinary referendum, on the ground of error in relation to the number of Dáil electors on the register of electors for the time being in force.
(3) A referendum petition may be presented by any of the following persons, that is to say:—
(a) in the case of a petition in respect of the voting in one constituency, by any person who voted in that constituency at the referendum or who claims that he was entitled to vote in that constituency at the referendum but was unlawfully refused a ballot paper or was in any other manner unlawfully prevented from so voting;
(b) in the case of a petition in respect of the aggregate voting at the referendum as a whole or in respect of the result of the referendum, by any person who voted at the referendum;
(c) in any case; by the Attorney-General.
(4) A provisional referendum certificate shall not be capable of being questioned in any manner in any court save only by a referendum petition presented to the High Court under this Part of this Act.
The respondent to a referendum petition.
35.—(1) Where a referendum petition is presented by a person other than the Attorney-General, the Attorney-General shall be named therein as the respondent thereto.
(2) Where a referendum petition is presented by the Attorney-General, no person shall be named therein as the respondent thereto but the High Court may, if it so thinks proper, assign counsel to present the case against the petition.
(3) Where, in a referendum petition or any particulars filed in relation thereto or at the hearing of a referendum petition, any particular person is alleged to have been guilty of a corrupt practice in relation to the referendum or where a copy of a referendum petition is served on a particular person by direction of the High Court, the High Court may, on the application of that person, add or name him as a respondent to such petition.
(4) Where, at the trial of a referendum petition presented by the Attorney-General, a question of law arises in relation to anything done or omitted by the referendum returning officer or a local returning officer, the High Court may, on the application of the Attorney-General, name the referendum returning officer or such local returning officer (as the case may be) as respondent to such petition to argue the said question of law, but for no other purpose.
(5) Where the referendum returning officer or a local returning officer is named as respondent to a referendum petition under the next preceding sub-section of this section, the costs and expenses incurred by such officer in or about appearing on and arguing the question of law shall be defrayed by the Minister for Finance out of moneys provided by the Oireachtas.
(6) References in this section to arguing a question of law shall be construed and have effect as including arguing such question before the Supreme Court on a case stated (if any) thereon as well as arguing such question before the High Court.
General provisions in respect of referendum petitions.
36.—The following provisions shall apply and have effect in relation to every referendum petition, that is to say:—
(a) the petition shall be presented by being lodged in the Central Office of the High Court, and shall be so presented not later than twenty-one days after the publication in the Iris Oifigiúil of the provisional referendum certificate to which the petition relates;
(b) save where the Attorney-General is the petitioner, a copy of the petition shall be served on the Attorney-General within five days after the day on which it is presented, and an affidavit verifying such service shall be filed in the Central Office of the High Court within the said five days;
(c) save where the Attorney-General is the petitioner, the petitioner shall, within five days after the petition is presented, give security for the costs of the Attorney-General to the amount of one thousand pounds either,
(i) by the lodgment of the sum of one thousand pounds with the Accountant of the Courts of Justice, or
(ii) by entering into a recognisance, with three sureties accepted by the Master of the High Court, conditioned for the payment of the costs of the Attorney-General to such (if any) amount not exceeding one thousand pounds as shall be ordered by the High Court;
(d) if, in a case to which the foregoing provisions of this section in relation to serving a copy of the petition, filing an affidavit of service, and giving security for costs apply, those provisions are not all complied with, the petition shall, at the expiration of the time limited by this section for complying with those provisions, become and be null and void;
(e) the petition shall set out with reasonable particularity the grounds on which it is based and shall pray that the provisional referendum certificate to which it relates shall be reviewed by the High Court;
(f) the petition shall be signed by the petitioner or by his counsel;
(g) where the ground or one of the grounds on which the petition is based is that corrupt practices prevailed extensively in relation to the taking of the referendum in a particular constituency, such corrupt practices need only be stated generally in the petition, but save where the Attorney-General is the petitioner, the petitioner shall lodge a full and detailed statement of the particulars of such corrupt practices in the Central Office of the High Court and serve a copy thereof on the Attorney-General within fourteen days after the presentation of the petition;
(h) where a statement of particulars of corrupt practices has been lodged in pursuance of the next preceding paragraph of this section, the High Court may, at any time on the application of the Attorney-General, require the petitioner to furnish further and better particulars of such corrupt practices;
(i) if, at the expiration of twenty-one days from the publication of a provisional referendum certificate in the Iris Oifigiúil, no referendum petition has been presented in relation to such certificate, the Master of the High Court shall, immediately on the expiration of those twenty-one days, inform the referendum returning officer in writing of that fact;
(j) if a referendum petition is presented by the Attorney-General within the time limited by this section, the Master of the High Court shall forthwith inform the referendum returning officer in writing of that fact;
(k) if a referendum petition is presented by a person other than the Attorney-General within the time limited by this section, the Master of the High Court shall forthwith inform the referendum returning officer in writing of that fact and shall also, after, but not more than seven days after, the expiration of twenty-one days from the publication of the relevant provisional referendum certificate in the Iris Oifigiúil, inform the referendum returning officer in writing either (as the facts may be)—
(i) that the provisions of this section in relation to filing an affidavit of service on the Attorney-General and in relation to giving security for costs have been duly complied with in respect of such, petition, or
(ii) that the said provisions have not been complied with in respect of such petition and that such petition has therefore become null and void;
(l) unless or until rules of court are made in respect of referendum petitions, the rules of court for the time being in force in respect of plenary summonses and the trial of actions in the High Court shall, subject to the provisions of this Part of this Act, apply and have effect in respect of referendum petitions and the trial thereof with the necessary modifications;
(m) in the reckoning of any period of time mentioned in this section which does not exceed ten days, Sundays, bank holidays, Christmas Day, and Good Friday shall be excluded.
Giving of notice to interested persons.
37.—(1) Where, at any time before or during the trial of a referendum petition, it appears to the High Court that a particular person is so concerned in or affected by such petition that he ought to have notice thereof, the High Court may, on the application of the Attorney-General or on its own motion, direct that a copy of such petition together with such notice as is mentioned in the next following sub-section of this section be served on that person by the Attorney-General.
(2) The notice to be served on a person in pursuance of a direction of the High Court under the next preceding sub-section of this section shall state that it appears to the High Court that such person is so concerned in or affected by the referendum petition of which a copy is served with such notice that he ought to have notice of that petition, and the said notice shall also state that such person is entitled under this Part of this Act to apply, if he so thinks fit, to the High Court to have himself added or named as a respondent to such petition.
The trial of a referendum petition.
38.—(1) The following provisions shall have effect in respect of the trial of a referendum petition, that is to say:—
(a) every referendum petition shall be tried by the High Court and every such trial shall be before three judges of that court;
(b) the trial shall take place in the City of Dublin, but it shall be lawful for the court to transfer the trial or any part thereof to any other place whenever, owing to the number of local witnesses or for any other reason, such transfer appears to the court to be expedient;
(c) if the trial or any part thereof is transferred to a place outside the City of Dublin, sections 41, 42, 43, and 44 of the Courts of Justice Act, 1936 (No. 48 of 1936), shall apply and have effect as if the court were the High Court on Circuit and the said place (if it is not an appeal town) were an appeal town;
(d) the evidence at the trial shall, save where the court otherwise directs, be given viva voce;
(e) the petitioner and the respondent (if any) shall each be entitled to adduce evidence and, where there are two or more respondents, each of them shall be entitled to be heard and adduce evidence separately;
(f) where two or more referendum petitions are presented in respect of the same provisional referendum certificate, all such petitions shall, so far as practicable, be heard and determined by the same three judges, and all or any two or more of such petitions may, at the discretion of the court, be tried together or be consolidated;
(g) the referendum returning officer shall attend the trial and produce and deliver to the court the provisional referendum certificate and generally give to the court such assistance as shall be requested of him by the court, but without prejudice to his being called as a witness by any party to the petition;
(h) no person shall be asked or required to state how he voted at the referendum;
(i) the costs of all parties to the petition shall be in the discretion of the court, and the court shall have power to order the costs or any part of the costs of any party to the petition to be paid by any other such party, and, where the costs or any part of the costs of the Attorney-General are so ordered to be paid by the petitioner, the court shall make provision for the payment, where necessary, of such costs out of or by means of the security for costs given by the petitioner.
(2) The court trying a referendum petition shall be entitled, at any time during such trial, to direct that a particular person shall be brought before the court and shall give evidence at such trial, and whenever the court so directs, the following provisions shall have effect, that is to say:—
(a) the court shall have power to compel the attendance of the person to whom such direction relates, and the Attorney-General shall take all such steps as the court shall direct for bringing such person before the court;
(b) the costs and expenses of bringing such person before the court (including any moneys payable to him as witness's expenses) shall be defrayed in the first instance by the Attorney-General but shall be part of the Attorney-General's costs and shall ultimately be borne accordingly;
(c) the said person shall be compellable to give evidence and shall be examined by the court and may be cross-examined by any party to the referendum petition;
(d) the said person shall not be entitled to refuse to answer any question on the ground that such answer would incriminate him in respect of any crime or offence.
Production of documents by the referendum returning officer.
39.—(1) At the trial of a referendum petition, the court shall be entitled to require the referendum returning officer to produce and deliver to the court all or any of the documents in his possession relating to the referendum, including reports, packets, and documents sent to him by local returning officers.
(2) All documents delivered to the court under the foregoing sub-section of this section shall be retained by the court until the relevant provisional referendum certificate has become final and shall then be returned to the referendum returning officer.
(3) While any documents are retained by the court under this section, it shall be lawful for the court to authorise any particular person or persons to inspect all or any of such documents and, where necessary, to open sealed packets, and it shall be lawful for the court to impose such conditions and restrictions as it shall think proper in respect of any such inspection.
Re-taking a referendum in a constituency.
40.—(1) At the trial of a referendum petition which questions the validity of a provisional referendum certificate in respect of the voting in a particular constituency, it shall be lawful for the High Court to order that the referendum shall be taken again in that constituency, and when the High Court so orders the following provisions shall have effect, that is to say:—
(a) the court shall, in the said order, appoint the day which shall be the polling day for the purpose of such retaking of the referendum;
(b) the referendum shall be retaken in the said constituency and the provisions of this Act in relation to the taking of a referendum (including the provisions relating to payment of the referendum returning officer for his services and expenses and to the charges and expenses of local returning officers) shall apply to such retaking, with the substitution of the polling day appointed by the said order of the court for a polling day appointed by the Minister;
(c) when the referendum returning officer has received the report of the local returning officer of the result of the counting of the votes at such retaking, he shall forth-with report such result to the High Court.
(2) The High Court shall not order a referendum to be taken again in any constituency merely on account of a non-compliance with the Rules contained in the First Schedule to this Act or a mistake in the use of forms prescribed by or under this Act where it appears to the court that such referendum was conducted in that constituency in accordance with the general principles laid down in the Act and that such non-compliance or mistake did not affect the result of the referendum in the said constituency.
The final order on a referendum petition.
41.—(1) Where only one referendum petition is duly presented in respect of a provisional referendum certificate, the final order of the court on the trial of such referendum petition shall either—
(a) confirm without alteration the said provisional referendum certificate which was the subject of the petition, or
(b) direct that the said certificate shall be amended in accordance with the findings of the court (including the result of any retaking of the referendum) and confirm the said certificate as so amended.
(2) Where two or more referendum petitions are duly presented in respect of the same provisional referendum certificate, then and in such case, whether such petitions are tried separately or are tried together or are consolidated, one consolidated final order shall be made by the court on such petitions at the conclusion of the trials or trial thereof and such consolidated final order shall either—
(a) confirm without alteration the said provisional referendum certificate which was the subject of the said petitions, or
(b) direct that the said certificate shall be amended in accordance with the several findings of the court in regard to the said petitions respectively (including the result of any retaking of the referendum) and confirm the said certificate as so amended.
(3) Where the court confirms a provisional referendum certificate without alteration, the court shall cause a statement of the fact of such confirmation to be endorsed on such certificate by a registrar of the High Court and shall cause such certificate so endorsed to be returned forthwith to the referendum returning officer.
(4) Where the court directs a provisional referendum certificate to be amended and confirms such certificate as so amended, the court shall cause such certificate to be amended in accordance with such direction, and shall further cause a statement of the fact that such amendment was made by order of the court and of the fact that such certificate as so amended was confirmed by the court to be endorsed on such certificate by a registrar of the High Court, and shall cause such certificate so amended and endorsed to be returned forthwith to the referendum returning officer.
(5) A provisional referendum certificate duly endorsed in accordance with this section shall, when it is received by the referendum returning officer from the High Court, forthwith become and be, in the form in which it was confirmed by the court, final and incapable of being further questioned in any court and shall, in that form, be conclusive evidence of the voting at the referendum to which it relates and of the result of such referendum.
Provisions in respect of referenda having the same polling day.
42.—Where the same day is the polling day in respect of two or more referenda and either a referendum petition or two or more referendum petitions questioning the provisional referendum certificate relating to one only of such referenda is or are duly presented or referendum petitions respectively questioning some but not all of the provisional referendum certificates respectively relating to such referenda are duly presented, the following provisions shall have effect notwithstanding anything inconsistent therewith contained in this Act, that is to say:—
(a) a provisional referendum certificate relating to any of such referenda shall not become final by reason of no referendum petition questioning such certificate having been duly presented;
(b) it shall be lawful for the Attorney-General, with the leave of the High Court, to present at any time a referendum petition questioning any provisional referendum certificate which relates to any of the said referenda and has not been confirmed by the High Court and is not the subject of a referendum petition duly presented;
(c) all the referendum petitions (duly presented) questioning any of the provisional referendum certificates relating to any of the said referenda shall, so far as practicable, be heard and determined by the same three judges, and all or any two or more of the said petitions may, at the discretion of the court, be tried together or be consolidated;
(d) the final orders of the court on all the trials of the said referendum petitions shall be made on the same day;
(e) when the said final orders have been made, every provisional referendum certificate relating to any of the said referenda in respect of which no referendum petition was duly presented shall be deemed to have been confirmed by the court, and the court shall cause to be endorsed on every such certificate by a registrar of the High Court a statement that such certificate is deemed to have been confirmed by the High Court, and the court shall cause such certificate so endorsed to be returned forthwith to the referendum returning officer;
(f) the referendum returning officer shall deliver to the High Court for endorsement under the next preceding paragraph of this sub-section every provisional referendum certificate which is deemed under that paragraph to have been confirmed by the court, and every such certificate when so endorsed and received by the referendum returning officer from the High Court shall forthwith become and be final and incapable of being questioned in any court and shall be conclusive evidence of the voting at the referendum to which it relates and of the result of such referendum.
Death of or delay by a petitioner.
43.—The following provisions shall apply and have effect in relation to every referendum petition presented by a person other than the Attorney-General, that is to say:—
(a) where there are two or more petitioners and one or more but not all of them dies or die at any time before the final order of the court on the trial of the petition, the surviving petitioner or petitioners shall be entitled to carry on the petition subject to such application or order as may be required by rules of court;
(b) where the only or the last surviving petitioner dies at any time before the final order of the court on the trial of the petition, the High Court shall, on application of the Attorney-General, transfer the carriage of the petition to the Attorney-General, and thereupon all subsequent proceedings on the petition shall be conducted as if the petition were a petition presented by the Attorney-General;
(c) if the petitioner fails to proceed with reasonable speed with the proceedings on the petition, the High Court may, on the application of the Attorney-General, either forthwith make a final order confirming without alteration the provisional referendum certificate which was the subject of the petition or transfer the carriage of the petition to the Attorney-General and authorise him to proceed on the petition as if it had been presented by him;
(d) nothing in this section shall operate to prevent the High Court ordering the costs or part of the costs of the Attorney-General to be paid out of or by means of the security for costs given by a deceased petitioner or by a petitioner who has failed to proceed with reasonable speed.
Appeal by case stated to the Supreme Court.
44.—(1) At any stage of the trial of a referendum petition, the High Court may, if it so thinks proper on its own motion or on the application of any party to such petition, state a case for the opinion of the Supreme Court on any question of law arising at such trial.
(2) When the High Court states a case for the opinion of the Supreme Court under this section, the High Court shall not make any final order in relation to the referendum petition in connection with which such case is stated until the Supreme Court has given its decision on the question referred to it by such case, and the High Court may adjourn the trial or any part of the trial of such referendum petition until such decision is given.
(3) The costs of all parties in or about a case stated for the Supreme Court under this section shall for all purposes be part of the costs of such parties respectively in or about the referendum petition in connection with which such case is stated.
FIRST SCHEDULE.
Rules for Taking the Poll at a Referendum.
Part I.
Functions of the Local Returning Officers.
Deputy local returning officer.
1.—(1) It shall be lawful for any local returning officer with the consent of the Minister to appoint a deputy local returning officer for the discharge of all or any particular part of the duties of such local returning officer, and accordingly in this Schedule the expression “local returning officer” includes, in relation to any duties for which a deputy local returning officer is so appointed, the deputy local returning officer so appointed.
(2) The provisions of section 4 of the Electoral (Revision of Constituencies) Act, 1935 (No. 5 of 1935), and of the Second Schedule to that Act in relation to assistant returning officers shall apply and have effect in relation to every referendum, and accordingly in this Schedule the expression “local returning officer”includes, in relation to any portion of a constituency in which an assistant returning officer is appointed or acts under the said provisions of the said Act, the assistant returning officer so appointed or acting.
Notice to local returning officers.
2.—As soon as practicable after the Minister has made an order appointing the polling day at a referendum, the referendum returning officer shall send to every local returning officer a copy of such order and a copy of the proposal which is the subject of such referendum.
Public notices of the taking of the referendum.
3.—(1) Every local returning officer shall, immediately upon receiving the copy of the said order from the referendum returning officer, give public notice in the prescribed form of—
(a) the taking of the referendum to which such order relates, and
(b) the proposal which is the subject of such referendum, and
(c) the post offices at which copies of the Bill containing such proposal may be inspected and purchased, and
(d) the date of the polling day at such referendum.
(2) Every local returning officer shall, as soon as may be after the publication of the said public notice, send a copy of that notice to the postmaster of the principal post office in each polling district in his constituency in an envelope or wrapper endorsed with the words “Notice of Referendum”, and every such envelope or wrapper so endorsed shall be forwarded and delivered free of charge by the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs.
(3) Every postmaster to whom a copy of the said notice is so sent shall upon receipt thereof forthwith publish the same in the manner in which Post Office notices are usually published.
Availability of copies of the Bill at post offices.
4.—(1) The Minister for Posts and Telegraphs shall cause copies of the Bill containing the proposal which is the subject of the referendum to be made available for inspection and purchase by members of the public at such post offices throughout the State as shall be agreed upon between the said Minister and the Minister for Local Government and Public Health at all times at which such post offices are open from the third day after the date of the order appointing the polling day until the polling day.
(2) Any member of the public shall be entitled to inspect free of charge a copy of the said Bill at any post office at which it is made available for such inspection in pursuance of this rule during any time at which it is so made available, and also to purchase at any such post office and time a copy of the said Bill on paying therefor such sum (not exceeding six pence) as shall be fixed by the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs.
Provision of polling stations.
5.—At every polling place the local returning officer shall provide a sufficient number of polling stations for the accommodation of the voters entitled to vote at such polling place, and shall distribute the polling stations amongst those voters in such manner as he thinks most convenient.
Provision of compartments.
6.—Every polling station shall be furnished with such number of compartments, in which the voters can mark their votes screened from observation, as the local returning officer thinks necessary, but at least one compartment shall be provided for every one hundred and fifty voters entitled to vote at such polling station.
Position of polling station.
7.—A separate room or separate booth may contain a separate polling station, or several polling stations may be constructed in the same room or booth.
Voting at polling station.
8.—No person shall be admitted to vote at any polling station, except the one allotted to him.
Notice of situation of polling stations.
9.—The local returning officer shall give public notice of the situation of all polling stations in his constituency, and the description of voters entitled to vote at each such station.
Local returning officer to provide materials, etc.
10.—The local returning officer shall provide at every polling station materials wherewith voters may mark their ballot papers, instruments for stamping the official mark on the ballot papers, and copies of the register of electors for the time being in force or such part thereof as contains the names of the voters allotted to vote at such station.
Secrecy of the official mark.
11.—The local returning officer shall keep the official mark secret.
Appointment of clerks to assist presiding officers.
12.—(1) The local returning officer may appoint, for each polling station, such and so many clerks as he shall think proper to assist the presiding officer at such polling station.
(2) A presiding officer may do, by the clerks appointed under this rule to assist him, any act which he is required or authorised by this Act to do, except ordering the arrest of any person or the exclusion or ejection of any person from the polling station.
Duties of presiding officers during the poll.
13.—Every presiding officer shall keep order at his polling station, shall regulate the number of voters to be admitted at a time, and shall exclude all other persons except his clerks, the personation agents (if any) appointed for his polling station, and the members of the Gárda Síochána on duty.
Undertaking for secrecy at the poll.
14.—Every local returning officer and every officer, clerk, personation agent, and other person who is permitted to be present in a polling station (otherwise than for the purpose of voting at the poll) shall, before the opening of the poll, sign an undertaking in the prescribed form to preserve the secrecy of the ballot.
Ballot boxes.
15.—(1) Every ballot box shall be so constructed that, without the box being unlocked, the ballot papers can be introduced therein, but cannot be withdrawn therefrom.
(2) The presiding officer at each polling station, immediately before the commencement of the poll, shall show the ballot boxes empty to such persons, if any, as may then be present in such station, so that they may see that they are empty, and shall then lock each ballot box and place his seal upon it in such manner as to prevent its being opened without breaking such seal, and shall place it in his view for the receipt of ballot papers, and keep it so locked and sealed.
Method of voting.
16.—Immediately before a ballot paper is delivered to a voter it shall be marked on both sides with the official mark, either stamped or perforated, and the number, name, and description of the voter as stated in the copy of the register of electors shall be called out, and the number of such voter shall be marked on the counterfoil, and a mark shall be placed in the register against the number of the voter to denote that he has received a ballot paper, but without showing the particular ballot paper which he has received.
Method of voting continued.
17.—The voter, on receiving the ballot paper, shall forthwith proceed into one of the compartments in the polling station, and there mark his paper, and fold it up so as to conceal his vote, and shall then put his ballot paper, so folded up, into the ballot box; he shall vote without undue delay, and shall quit the polling station as soon as he has put his ballot paper into the ballot box.
Incapacitated voters.
18.—(1) If any voter satisfies the presiding officer that his sight is so impaired or he is otherwise so physically incapacitated or he is so illiterate that he is unable to vote without assistance, the presiding officer shall, in the presence of the personation agents (if any), cause the vote of such voter to be marked on a ballot paper in the manner directed by such voter and shall place the ballot paper so marked in the ballot box.
(2) A request made by a voter within four hours before the hour fixed for closing the poll to have his ballot paper marked for him under this rule may be refused by the presiding officer, if in his opinion, having regard to the number of voters then coming in to vote or likely to come in to vote before the close of the poll, his acceding to such request would interfere with the proper discharge of his duties or would unduly obstruct the voting of other voters.
(3) In carrying out the provisions of this rule, the presiding officer shall observe and comply with the following directions, that is to say:—
(a) the presiding officer shall ask the voter, “Which do you wish to do—to vote in favour of the proposal? or to vote against the proposal?”;
(b) the presiding officer shall then mark the ballot paper in accordance with the answer of the voter to the said question;
(c) where the voter fails to understand the import of the said question, the presiding officer shall read out to the voter the proposal as stated on the ballot paper and then ask the voter, “Do you approve of or do you object to that proposal becoming law?” and then mark the ballot paper in accordance with the answer of the voter;
(d) where the ballot paper enables the voter to vote in respect of two or more proposals, the presiding officer shall comply with the foregoing sub-paragraphs of this paragraph in respect of each of such proposals separately and successively;
(e) the presiding officer shall not accept, consider, or act upon any paper or document purporting to show the manner in which the voter desires to vote and shall not mark the ballot paper of the voter otherwise than after compliance and in accordance with the foregoing provisions of this paragraph of this rule.
Alleged personation.
19.—If a person, representing himself to be a particular person named on the register of electors, applies for a ballot paper after another person has voted as such person, the applicant shall, upon duly answering the questions and taking the oath or affirmation permitted by this Act to be asked of and to be administered to voters at the time of polling, be entitled to mark a ballot paper in the same manner as any other voter, but the ballot paper (in this Act called a tendered ballot paper) shall be of a colour differing from the other ballot papers, and instead of being put into the ballot box, shall be given to the presiding officer and endorsed by him with the name of the voter and his number in the register of electors, and set aside in a separate packet and shall not be counted by the returning officer, and the name of such voter and his number on the register shall be entered on the tendered votes list in the prescribed form.
Inadvertent destruction of ballot paper.
20.—A voter who has inadvertently dealt with his ballot paper in such manner that it cannot be conveniently used as a ballot paper, may, on delivering to the presiding officer the ballot paper so inadvertently dealt with and proving the fact of the inadvertence to the satisfaction of the presiding officer, obtain another ballot paper in the place of the ballot paper so delivered up (in this Act called a spoilt ballot paper), and the spoilt ballot paper shall be immediately cancelled.
Sealing and disposal of ballot boxes.
21.—(1) As soon as practicable after the close of the poll, the presiding officer at each polling station shall seal up with his own seal the ballot boxes used at the poll in that polling station so as to prevent the introduction of additional ballot papers.
(2) As soon as practicable after the close of the poll, the presiding officer at each polling station shall deliver the said ballot boxes, sealed up as directed by this rule, to the local returning officer who shall thereupon take charge of such ballot boxes.
Duty of presiding officer at close of poll.
22.—The presiding officer at each polling station, as soon as practicable after the close of the poll, shall make up into separate packets sealed with his own seal—
(a) the unused and spoilt ballot papers, placed together, and
(b) the tendered ballot papers, and
(c) the marked copies of the register of electors, and the counterfoils of the ballot papers, and
(d) the tendered votes list,
and shall deliver all such packets to the local returning officer.
Statement by presiding officer.
23.—The packets mentioned in the next preceding rule shall be accompanied by a statement in the prescribed form made by the presiding officer, showing the number of ballot papers entrusted to him, and accounting for them under the heads of (a) ballot papers in the ballot boxes, (b) unused ballot papers, (c) spoilt ballot papers, and (d) tendered ballot papers, which statement is in this Act referred to as the ballot paper account.
Opening of the ballot boxes.
24.—As soon as practicable after the close of the poll in a constituency, the local returning officer for that constituency shall open each ballot box used at the poll in that constituency, take out the ballot papers therein, count and record the number thereof, and then mix together the whole of the ballot papers contained in the said ballot boxes.
Counting of the votes.
25.—(1) When the local returning officer has mixed the ballot papers together, he shall count the votes recorded thereon and ascertain the number of votes thereby given in favour of the proposal which is the subject of the referendum and the number of votes thereby given against that proposal and shall record the said numbers respectively.
(2) Where the ballot papers relate to two or more referenda, the local returning officer shall count and record in accordance with this rule separately the numbers of votes recorded on such ballot papers in favour of and against the several proposals which are the respective subjects of such referenda.
(3) While carrying out the foregoing provisions of this rule, the local returning officer shall reject any ballot papers which are invalid but, where the ballot papers relate to two or more referenda, he shall distinguish between ballot papers which are wholly invalid and ballot papers which are invalid only in respect of one or some but not all of such referenda.
(4) The decision of the local returning officer as to the validity or invalidity of any ballot paper shall be final and capable of being questioned only by a referendum petition.
Recounting of the votes.
26.—(1) At any time during the counting of the votes, the local returning officer may and, if so required by any person lawfully present, shall recount the votes recorded on all the ballot papers or on any particular parcel of ballot papers.
(2) If, on any first recount under this rule, the result of such recount is the same as the result of the original count, the local returning officer shall not be obliged to make any further recount, but if, on such first recount, the result of such recount is different from the result of the original count, the local returning officer shall repeat the recount until the results of two consecutive such recounts are identical.
Report in respect of rejected ballot papers.
27.—(1) The local returning officer shall endorse “rejected” on any ballot paper which he rejects as invalid and, where such ballot paper relates to two or more referenda, shall add (as the case may require) either the word “wholly” or an indication of the referendum in respect of which it is rejected.
(2) The local returning officer shall report to the referendum returning officer the number of ballot papers rejected and not counted by him under the several heads following, that is to say:—
(a) want of official mark,
(b) writing or mark by which the voter could be identified,
(c) unmarked or void for uncertainty.
(3) Where the ballot papers relate to two or more referenda, the local returning officer shall in his said report distinguish between the ballot papers which he rejects as being wholly unmarked or void for uncertainty and those which he rejects as being unmarked or void for uncertainty in respect of one or some, but not all, of such referenda.
Precautions for preservation of secrecy.
28.—The local returning officer, while counting and arranging the ballot papers and recording the numbers thereof in pursuance of the preceding rules, shall keep the ballot papers with their faces upwards and shall take all proper precautions for preventing any person from seeing the numbers printed on the backs of such ballot papers.
Persons to be present at the opening of the ballot boxes and counting of the votes.
29.—(1) Each member of Dáil Eireann for the constituency and any member of Seanad Eireann may nominate two persons to be present on his behalf at the opening of the ballot boxes and counting of the votes; any such member may nominate himself as one of the persons so nominated by him.
(2) The local returning officer, his assistants and clerks, persons nominated as aforesaid by members of Dáil Eireann or of Seanad Eireann and no other person (except with the permission of the local returning officer) may be present at the opening of the ballot boxes and counting of the votes.
(3) The local returning officer and every clerk, assistant, and person who is permitted to be present at the opening of the ballot boxes or the counting of the votes shall, before the commencement of such opening, sign an undertaking in the prescribed form to preserve the secrecy of the ballot.
(4) Where the polling day at a constitutional referendum is also the polling day at a general election, the powers conferred by the foregoing provisions of this rule on a member of Dáil Eireann shall be exercisable by any person who was a member of Dáil Eireann immediately before the dissolution which occasioned such general election.
Continuity of proceedings on the opening of the ballot boxes and counting of the votes.
30.—(1) The local returning officer shall, so far as practicable, proceed continuously with the opening of the ballot boxes and counting of the votes, allowing only time for refreshment and excluding (except in so far as he may consider expedient) the hours between seven o'clock at night and nine o'clock on the succeeding morning.
(2) During the said excluded time, the local returning officer shall place the ballot papers and other documents relating to the poll under his own seal and shall otherwise take proper precautions for the security of such papers and documents.
Sending of report and documents to the referendum returning officer.
31.—When the local returning officer has completed the counting of the votes, he shall do the following things, that is to say:—
(a) send to the referendum returning officer a report in writing in the prescribed form stating the number of valid votes recorded in favour of the proposal, the number of valid votes recorded against the proposal, and such other matters as shall be prescribed;
(b) where the same day is the polling day at two or more referenda, the local returning officer shall send to the referendum returning officer a separate such report as aforesaid in respect of each such referendum;
(c) send to the referendum returning officer the following packets and statement in respect of postal voters, that is to say: the packet containing the declarations of identity which accompanied ballot papers duly accepted, and the packet containing rejected declarations of identity with the envelopes (if any) attached thereto, and the packet containing rejected ballot papers, and a statement, in the form directed by the Minister, showing the number of ballot papers sent to postal voters and giving, in regard to such ballot papers, the particulars required by the form;
(d) seal up in separate packets the counted ballot papers and the rejected ballot papers and (without opening the sealed packets containing respectively the tendered ballot papers, the marked copy of the register of electors, and the counterfoils) proceed to verify the ballot paper account given by each presiding officer by comparing it with the number of ballot papers recorded by him, the unused and spoilt ballot papers, and the tendered votes list and, after resealing each examined packet, prepare a report stating the result of such verification;
(e) send to the referendum returning officer all the packets (including sealed packets not opened), ballot paper accounts and tendered votes lists mentioned in the next preceding paragraph of this rule, and also the report prepared in pursuance of that paragraph, having previously endorsed on each such packet a description of its contents, an identification of the referendum to which they relate, and the name of his constituency.
Part II.
Functions of the Referendum Returning Officer.
The provisional referendum certificate.
32.—(1) As soon as the referendum returning officer has received from every local returning officer the report of the numbers of the votes recorded in his constituency, the referendum returning officer shall prepare from such reports and shall sign the provisional referendum certificate in the prescribed form stating:—
(a) in the case of a constitutional referendum, the number of votes recorded in favour of the proposal which is the subject of the referendum, the number of votes recorded against such proposal, and whether a majority of the votes recorded at the referendum was or was not recorded in favour of such proposal;
(b) in the case of an ordinary referendum, the number of votes recorded in favour of the proposal which is the subject of the referendum, the number of votes recorded against such proposal, and, if the number of votes recorded against such proposal exceeds the number of votes recorded in favour of such proposal, the total number of Dáil electors on the register of electors for the time being in force, and whether the number of votes recorded against such proposal is or is not less than thirty-three and one-third per cent. of the said total number of Dáil electors, and in any case whether such proposal was or was not vetoed at such referendum;
(c) in every case, the number of votes reported by the local returning officers to have been recorded in each constituency in favour of the proposal which is the subject of the referendum and the number of votes similarly reported to have been recorded in each constituency against such proposal.
(2) As soon as may be after he has signed the provisional referendum certificate, the referendum returning officer shall publish in the Iris Oifigiúil a copy of that certificate together with a statement that such certificate will become final and incapable of being questioned when he is informed by the Master of the High Court either that no referendum petition has been duly presented in respect thereof or that every such petition so presented has become null and void.
(3) When a provisional referendum certificate has become final otherwise than by being confirmed by the High Court, the referendum returning officer shall endorse on such certificate a statement that it has so become final and shall send a copy thereof to the Taoiseach.
(4) When a provisional referendum certificate has been confirmed or is deemed to have been confirmed by the High Court and is returned to the referendum returning officer with a statement of the fact of such confirmation endorsed thereon in accordance with this Act, the referendum returning officer shall send a copy of such certificate to the Taoiseach.
Disposal of documents.
33.—(1) Subject to the provisions of the following paragraphs of this rule, the referendum returning officer shall retain all reports, documents, and packets sent to him by a local returning officer in respect of a referendum until the expiration of six months after the provisional referendum certificate in respect of such referendum has become final and shall then destroy all such reports, packets, and documents.
(2) Where the same day is the polling day at two or more referenda, the referendum returning officer shall, notwithstanding anything contained in the next preceding paragraph of this rule and subject to the provisions of the next following paragraph of this rule, retain all the reports, documents, and packets mentioned in the said next preceding paragraph which relate to any one or more of the said referenda until six months after the several provisional referendum certificates in respect of the said referenda respectively have all become final.
(3) The obligation to retain reports, documents, and packets imposed on the referendum returning officer by the preceding paragraphs of this rule is subject and without prejudice to the obligation imposed on him by this Act to produce and deliver such reports, documents, and packets to the High Court at the hearing of a referendum petition.
Non-inspection of counterfoils and counted ballot papers.
34.—Notwithstanding anything contained in the next preceding rule, no sealed packet of counterfoils shall at any time be opened and no counterfoil and no counted ballot paper shall at any time be inspected save under and in accordance with an order of the High Court under Part III of this Act.
Part III.
General.
Method of giving public notice.
35.—Where the referendum returning officer or a local returning officer is required or authorised by this Act to give any public notice, he shall, unless some other method is prescribed by this Act, give such notice by such advertisements, placards, handbills, or other means as he thinks best calculated to afford information to the voters.
Restrictions on persons to be employed by returning officers.
36.—No person shall be employed by the referendum returning officer or by a local returning officer who has been employed by any other person in or about the referendum or the taking of the poll.
SECOND SCHEDULE.
FORMS OF BALLOT PAPERS.
I.
FORM OF BALLOT PAPER WHERE ONE REFERENDUM ONLY IS BEING TAKEN.
FORM OF FRONT OF BALLOT PAPER.
Do you approve or do you disapprove of the Proposal stated in the first column below becoming law?
Proposal | I Approve | I Disapprove | ||
Referendum counterfoil | ||||
Number | ||||
Instructions for marking this paper.
If you approve of the Proposal stated in the first column above becoming law, make the mark “x” in the above column headed “I approve.”
If you disapprove of that Proposal becoming law, make the mark “x” in the above column headed “I disapprove.”
FORM OF BACK OF BALLOT PAPER.
Number_____ | |
Constituency of | Referendum on Proposal that_____ |
__________ | ____________________ |
Note.—The number on the back of the ballot paper is to correspond with the number on the counterfoil.
II.
FORM OF BALLOT PAPER WHERE TWO OR MORE REFERENDA ARE BEING TAKEN ON THE SAME DAY.
FORM OF FRONT OF BALLOT PAPER.
In the case of each of the Proposals stated in the first column below, do you approve or do you disapprove of the Proposal becoming law?
Proposals | I Approve | I Disapprove | ||
Referendum counterfoil | 1. | |||
Number | 2. | |||
3. |
Instructions for marking this paper.
You are to vote separately in regard to each of the Proposals stated in the first column above, but you are not obliged to vote on every of those Proposals.
If you approve of any of the Proposals stated in the first column above becoming law, make the mark “x” in the above column headed “I approve” opposite every Proposal of which you so approve.
If you disapprove of any one or more of those Proposals becoming law, make the mark “x” in the above column headed “I disapprove” opposite every Proposal of which you so disapprove.
FORM OF BACK OF BALLOT PAPER.
Number________ | Referenda on the following Proposals, viz:— |
Constituency of | 1. _____________________ |
_____________ | 2. _____________________ |
3. _____________________ |
Note.—The number on the back of the ballot paper is to correspond with the number on the counterfoil.
THIRD SCHEDULE.
Repeals.
Number and Year | Short title | Extent of Repeal |
No. 12 of 1923. | The Electoral Act, 1923. | Part V, and the Seventh Schedule. |
No. 38 of 1923. |