Home > 1.3.2.1 Ballots and election material > MALTA- General Elections Act
 
 
 
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Article 72
 

(1) Any voter who declares to, and shows to the satisfaction of, the Assistant Commissioners that he is unable by reason of blindness, other physical cause or illiteracy to mark his ballot paper, may request an Assistant Commissioner to mark the paper on his behalf indicating or which candidate or candidates he wishes to vote and the order in which he wishes to record his vote:

Provided that the voter may not ask for any particular Assistant Commissioner to mark the ballot paper on his behalf.

(2) he Assistant Commissioners are bound to secrecy with regard to the voting of persons whom they have assisted to vote.

(3) there shall be not less than two Assistant Commissioners present when the vote is being recorded under the provisions of subsection (1) of this section, but no other person shall be allowed in the room.

(4) When an Assistant Commissioner is authorised to assist a voter to record his vote, the Assistant Commissioner shall require such voter to confirm his declaration on oath using the format shown in the Fifteenth Schedule annexed to the Act, and on satisfying himself of the correctness of such declaration he shall record the vote of such voter on the ballot paper, in accordance with the indication made by such voter and following the procedure set down hereunder --

(a) The Assistant Commissioner shall ask the voter: 'Which of the candidates do you most desire to see elected?' and shall place the figure 1 on the ballot paper opposite the name of the candidate indicated by the voter.

(b) The Assistant Commissioner shall then ask the voter: 'For which of the candidates do you desire to express a second choice?' and shall place the figure 2 on the ballot paper opposite the name of the candidate indicated by the voter.

(c) The Assistant Commissioner shall repeat the operation in reference to a third or any subsequent preference until the voter shall declare that he does not desire to express any further choice.

(d) In order to assist such voter in indicating his preferences, the Assistant Commissioners may refer the voter to the photographs of the candidates displayed in the polling booth in accordance with section 68 of this Act.

Such photographs shall be of such size and description as the Electoral Commissioners may require and shall be displayed in such manner as they shall direct and in the order in which the candidates' names appear on the ballot-paper.

(e) At the commencement of these operations and at any subsequent stage the Assistant Commissioner shall, if desired by the voter, read out in the order in which they appear on the ballot paper, the names of all candidates for whom a choice has not already been expressed by the voter.

(f) If any such voter, however, shall request the Assistant Commissioner to read out the names of the candidates of one particular political party only, the Assistant Commissioner shall do so by reading in alphabetical order the names of the candidates who have supplied an indication of their adhesion to that political party and omitting the names of the other candidates.