Electoral Offences

Electoral Offences

A person may be guilty of an Electoral Offence if the person:

(a)       is an Officer of the Convocation and neglects official duty of that office as proscribed in the Convocation Statute Book whilst conducting campaign duties in any election under these Regulations;

(b)       canvases for vote inside a Polling Place;

(c)       interferes with or infringes the secrecy of the ballot;

(d)       takes any action contrary to these Regulations or a lawful direction of the Returning Officer or Electoral Assistant;

(e)       impersonates another person with the intention to defraud;

(f)        destroys or defaces a ballot paper, ballot box or election notice with the intention to defraud;

(g)       submits a ballot paper in the ballot box with the intention to defraud;

(h)       remove a ballot paper from the Polling Place or counting centre with the intention to defraud;

(i)        fails to obey the lawful instruction of the Returning Officer within a polling place or counting centre;

(j)         supplies ballot papers without authority;

(k)       votes more than once at the same election;

(i)        defaces, mutilates, destroys, or removes any document published or distributed by the Returning Officer;

(m)      makes a false statement in any claim, application, return or declaration or in answer to a question under these Regulations;

(n)       distributes any advertisement, handbill or pamphlet which is not authorised under these Regulations or otherwise published in contravention of these Regulations;

(o)       is a Candidate or Scrutineer, and wears or displays a badge or emblem of a Candidate or Group in a Polling Place during polling or at a counting centre during counting;

(p)       interferes unduly with freedom of speech;

(q)       hinders, obstructs, interferes with or delays the conduct of an election meeting;

(r)        damages Convocation property or fixtures which delays or interferes with the conduct of the election;

(s)       hinders, obstructs or prevents a Candidate from exercising a right, including the right to freedom of political communication;

(t)        defaces or mutilates Campaign Material;

(u)       induces, directly or indirectly, an electoral official to unlawfully influence the result of the election, including by stuffing ballot papers, destroying ballot papers, or willingly counting votes incorrectly;

(v)       interferes with, defaces, duplicates, destroys or unlawfully deals with in any way a ballot paper, electoral form, nomination form, official electoral notice, ballot box, nomination receptacle, electoral roll or other object pertaining to the Election;

(w)      is intoxicated at a Polling Place or counting centre;

(x)       engages in disorderly conduct at a Polling Place or counting centre;

(y)       in the case of a Candidate, remains within the Polling Place after a formal warning;

(z)       distributes or displays Campaign Material within the Polling Place following a formal warning;

(aa)     duplicates or conceals a ballot paper;

(bb)     distributes any card or paper which includes how-to-vote instructions or directions in a Polling Place;

(cc)     witnesses an electoral paper which has not been completed with the intent to defraud;

(dd)     witnesses a signature without actually seeing the person signing the required form with the intention to defraud;

(ee)     marks a ballot paper unlawfully (including by identifying themselves by stating their name or address on the ballot paper);

(ff)       acts as a witness on an electoral form whilst being a Candidate or Group Agent;

(gg)     uses Convocation resources for election purposes beyond that which are entitled to or authorised to use under these Regulations;

(hh)    exceeds the spending limit for Campaign Material specified in Regulation 0903; and

(ii)       commits an act in relation the election that constitutes Misconduct.