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CONSTITUTION AND PARLIAMENTARY ELECTORATES AND
ELECTIONS (AMENDMENT) BILL 1990 *
NEW SOUTH WALES
EXPLANATORY NOTE
(This Explanatory Note relate to this Bill as introduced into Parliament)
The obejects of this Bill are:
to require a redistribution of electoral districts to be carried out if more than
one-quarter of those districts are malapportioned, that is, the number of
electors enrolled in each of those districts differs from the average district
enrolment to a greater extent than 5 per cent more or less;
to require the commissioners carrying out an electoral redistribution to
obtain and consider the advice of a recognised demographer;
to fix a period within which any legal challenge to a redistribution must be
made;
to provide for the close of the roll in an election on the day of the issue of
the writ for the election instead of 3 days after the issue of the writ;
to enable official agents of registered parties to nominate candidates for
election;
to reduce the deposit required to be paid by candidates for election and to
change the provisions governing the entitlement to a refund of the deposit;
to provide for the printing of ballot-papers showing the party affiliation of
the candidates and to enact provisions for the registration of parties and
their official agents;
to enable groups nominated for election to the Legislative Council to Iodge
3 group voting tickets (instead of only 1 or 2) and to provide for only 1 group
voting ticket square to be shown on the ballot-papers;
to increase penalties for offences relating to multiple or fraudulent voting;
to provide that the last day for the receipt of postal votes is the fourth day
after polling-day instead of the seventh day for ordinary postal votes and the
tenth day for overseas postal votes:
* Amended in committee -- see table at end of volume.
Constitution and Parliamentary Electorates and Elections (Amendment) 1990
(k) to enable pre-poll voting at the office of any returning officer instead of only
at the office of the returning officer for the district in which the elector is
enrolled;
(l)
to change the provisions relating to registered postal voters;
(m) to provide that a ballot-paper in which the voter uses a tick or a cross to
indicate his or her vote is informal instead of being formal; and
(n) to make other miscellaneous changes with respect to Parliamentary
elections.
A detailed explanation of each amendment is set out in the Bill after the
amendment concerned.
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