The National Assembly for Wales (Representation of the People) Order 2003

1. Introductory Text

2. PART I GENERAL

   1. 1. Citation, commencement and revocation

   2. 2. Interpretation

3. PART II ASSEMBLY FRANCHISE AND ITS EXERCISE

   1. 3. Voting at Assembly elections

   2. 4. Registers of electors etc

   3. 5. Registration appeals

   4. 6. Polling districts and places at Assembly elections

   5. 7. Manner of voting at Assembly elections

   6. 8. Absent vote at Assembly elections for a particular or an indefinite period

   7. 9. Absent vote at a particular Assembly election

   8. 10. Absent voters list at Assembly elections

   9. 11. Proxies at Assembly elections

   10. 12. Voting as proxy at Assembly elections

   11. 13. Offences

   12. 14. Absent voting at Assembly elections: miscellaneous

   13. 15. Combination of polls at Assembly and local government elections

   14. 16. Conduct of Assembly elections etc

   15. 17. Returning officers

   16. 18. Officers of councils to be placed at disposal of returning officers

   17. 19. Returning officers: discharge of functions

   18. 20. Returning officers: general

   19. 21. Payments by and to returning officer

   20. 22. Taxation of returning officer’s account

   21. 23. Loan of equipment for Assembly elections

   22. 24. Effect of registers

   23. 25. Effect of misdescription

   24. 26. Discharge of registration duties

   25. 27. Payment of expenses of registration

   26. 28. Personation

   27. 29. Other voting offences

   28. 30. Breach of official duty

   29. 31. Tampering with nomination papers, ballot papers etc

   30. 32. False statements in nomination papers etc.

   31. 33. Requirement of secrecy

   32. 34. Prohibition on publication of exit polls

4. PART III THE ELECTION CAMPAIGN

   1. 35. Appointment of election agent

   2. 36. Nomination of sub-agent

   3. 37. Office of election agent and sub-agent

   4. 38. Effect of default in election agent’s appointment

   5. 39. Control of donations to constituency and individual candidates

   6. 40. Expenses of constituency candidate

   7. 41. Constituency and individual candidates: payment of expenses by or through election agent

   8. 42. Expenses which may be paid otherwise than by election agent

   9. 43. Expenses incurred otherwise than for election purposes

   10. 44. Constituency and individual candidates: prohibition of expenses not authorised by election agent etc

   11. 45. Constituency and individual candidates: limitation of election expenses

   12. 46. Power to vary provisions concerning election expenses

   13. 47. Time for sending in and paying claims

   14. 48. Disputed claims

   15. 49. Election agent’s claim

   16. 50. Constituency or individual candidates: return as to election expenses

   17. 51. Constituency and individual candidates: declarations as to election expenses

   18. 52. Party list candidates: declarations as to election expenses

   19. 53. Circumstances in which no return or declaration is required

   20. 54. Penalty for failure as respects return of declarations

   21. 55. Penalty for sitting or voting where no return and declarations are delivered etc

   22. 56. Authorised excuses for failures as to return and declarations

   23. 57. Court’s power to require information from election agent or sub-agent

   24. 58. Duty of appropriate returning officer to forward returns and declarations to Electoral Commission

   25. 59. Publication of time and place of inspection of returns and declarations

   26. 60. Constituency and individual candidates: inspection of returns and declarations

   27. 61. Meaning of “election expenses”

   28. 62. Incurring of election expenses for purposes of article 61

   29. 63. Property, goods, services etc provided free of charge or at a discount

   30. 64. Right to send election address post free

   31. 65. Broadcasting from outside United Kingdom

   32. 66. Broadcasting of local items during election period.

   33. 67. Imitation poll cards

   34. 68. Schools and rooms for Assembly election meetings

   35. 69. Disturbances at Assembly election meetings

   36. 70. Officials not to act for candidates

   37. 71. Illegal canvassing by police officers

   38. 72. False statements as to candidates

   39. 73. Corrupt withdrawal from candidature

   40. 74. Payments for exhibition of election notices

   41. 75. Printer’s name and address on election publications

   42. 76. Prohibition of paid canvassers

   43. 77. Providing money for illegal purposes

   44. 78. Bribery

   45. 79. Treating

   46. 80. Undue influence

   47. 81. Rights of creditors

   48. 82. Savings as to Assembly elections

   49. 83. Interpretation of Part III

   50. 84. Computation of time for purposes of Part III

5. PART IV LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

   1. 85. Method of questioning Assembly election

   2. 86. Presentation and service of Assembly election petition

   3. 87. Time for presentation or amendment of Assembly election petition

   4. 88. Constitution of election court and place of trial

   5. 89. Judges' expenses and reception

   6. 90. Attendance of shorthand writer

   7. 91. Security for costs

   8. 92. Petition at issue

   9. 93. List of petitions

   10. 94. Trial of petition

   11. 95. Witnesses

   12. 96. Duty to answer relevant questions

   13. 97. Expenses of witnesses

   14. 98. Conclusion of trial of Assembly election petition

   15. 99. Election court determination in respect of a constituency election etc

   16. 100. Regional election determined to be void by election court

   17. 101. Special case for determination of High Court

   18. 102. Withdrawal of petition

   19. 103. Costs of petition

   20. 104. Neglect or refusal to pay costs

   21. 105. Further provision as to costs

   22. 106. Appeals and jurisdiction

   23. 107. Report as to candidate guilty of a corrupt or illegal practice

   24. 108. Candidate reported guilty of corrupt or illegal practice

   25. 109. Persons reported personally guilty of corrupt or illegal practices

   26. 110. Persons reported personally guilty of corrupt or illegal practices at parliamentary elections or local government elections

   27. 111. Persons reported personally guilty of corrupt or illegal practices at European Parliamentary elections

   28. 112. Justice of the peace

   29. 113. Members of legal and certain other professions

   30. 114. Holder of licence or certificate under Licensing Acts

   31. 115. Avoidance of election for general corruption etc

   32. 116. Avoidance of election for employing corrupt agent

   33. 117. Votes to be struck off for corrupt or illegal practices

   34. 118. Application for relief

   35. 119. Prosecutions for corrupt practices

   36. 120. Prosecutions for illegal practices

   37. 121. Conviction of illegal practice on charge of corrupt practice etc

   38. 122. Incapacities on conviction of corrupt or illegal practice

   39. 123. Incapacities on conviction of corrupt or illegal practice at parliamentary or local government elections

   40. 124. Incapacities on conviction of corrupt or illegal practice at European Parliamentary elections

   41. 125. Mitigation and remission etc

   42. 126. Illegal payments etc

   43. 127. Time limit for prosecutions

   44. 128. Prosecution of offences committed outside the United Kingdom

   45. 129. Offences by associations

   46. 130. Evidence by certificate of holding of Assembly elections

   47. 131. Evidence by certificate of electoral registration

   48. 132. Director of Public Prosecutions

   49. 133. Rules of procedure

   50. 134. Costs

   51. 135. Service of notices

   52. 136. Interpretation of Part IV

   53. 137. Computation of time for purposes of Part IV

6. PART V MISCELLANEOUS AND SUPPLEMENTAL

   1. 138. Advertisements

   2. 139. Assembly constituencies not wholly within a county or county borough

   3. 140. Forms: absent voting

   4. 141. Forms: general

   5. 142. Public notices, and declarations

   6. 143. Sending of applications and notices

   7. 144. Publication of documents

   8. 145. Interference with notices etc

   9. 146. Premises used for election purposes

7. Signature

8. SCHEDULES

   1. 1.

      Electors lists and registers: miscellaneous and related provision.

   2. 2.

      Absent voting at Assembly elections.

   3. 3.

      Issue and receipt of postal ballot papers.

   4. 4.

      Combination of polls.

   5. 5.

      Conduct of Assembly elections and return of Assembly members.

   6. 6.

      Control of donations to candidates.

   7. 7.

      Returns and declarations as to election expenses.

   8. 8.

      Use for Assembly election meetings of rooms in school premises and of meeting rooms.

   9. 9.

      Modification of Election Petition Rules 1960.

9. Explanatory Note