3 March
Campaign Workers & Scrutineers – Clarification
The Commission has received some queries about candidates attending different types of polling booths.
There is nothing in the Electoral Act 1907 which directly prevents a candidate handing out how–to–vote material in their own district.
However, under section 115 candidates cannot act as scrutineers in their own electoral district or region.
Candidates can attend a remote polling booth to hand out how-to-vote material but again must not act as scrutineers.
The situation is different for other mobile polling places such as hospitals and special institutions. Section 192 states that canvassing for votes is specifically prohibited within the institution or hospital, including the institution or hospital grounds, or within 6 metres of the entrance to the institution or hospital, or the entrance to the grounds, whichever is further away from the institution or hospital itself.
How-to-vote material may be left at a hospital or institution so that it is available on request. Scrutineers (not candidates) may carry material with them when accompanying a mobile portable ballot box to provide to electors where requested.
If a candidate is appointed as a scrutineer in a district or region other than the one they are contesting, they need to sign a scrutineer form which needs to be counter-signed by the candidate they are representing or by the party agent. They may not scrutineer for themselves.