Establishment of advance polling districts

(1) Each returning officer shall, as directed by the Chief Electoral Officer, establish in his or her electoral district advance polling districts that consist of one or
more polling divisions.

Description of districts

2) The returning officer shall give the Chief Electoral Officer a description of each advance polling district that is established.

Establishment of advance polling station

(3) An advance polling station shall be established in each advance polling district.

Combining advance polling districts

(4) When a request is made to a returning officer not later than four days after the issue of the writ, the returning officer may, with the prior approval of the Chief Electoral Officer, combine two advance polling districts into one district.

Request to move an advance polling station

(5) When a request is made to a returning officer not later than four days after the issue of the writ to change the location of an advance polling station, the returning officer, with the prior approval of the Chief Electoral Officer, may do so.

Accessibility

(6) An advance polling station shall be in premises that are accessible to electors with a disability.

Exception

(7) If a returning officer is unable to secure suitable premises for an advance polling station that are accessible to electors with a disability, the returning officer may, with the prior approval of the Chief Electoral Officer, establish the advance polling station in premises that are not accessible to such electors.

Advance polling station in more than one premises

(8) If the returning officer is of the opinion that an advance polling district consists of or includes remote, isolated or low-density communities, the returning officer may, with the prior approval of the Chief Electoral Officer and in accordance with the Chief Electoral Officer’s instructions, establish the advance polling station for that district in premises in more than one such community, and have the election officers who are assigned to the advance polling station — along with the ballot box, ballots and other necessary election documents — be at given ones of those premises on different days of advance polling to take electors’ votes. For greater certainty, subsections (5) to (7) apply to the advance polling station.