www.electionin.org

Organisation : Guyana Elections Commission
Facility : Where to Vote
Country : Guyana

Where to Vote : https://www.gecom.org.gy/
Home Page : https://www.gecom.org.gy/

Place and time of poll :
The poll shall be taken at each polling place on election day in accordance with this Part during the hours specified in the notice of poll

Provided that if at the hour of the closing of the poll there are any electors waiting at the polling place to vote, the poll shall remain open for the sufficient time to enable those electors to vote.

Appointment of candidate to attend poll :
Section 76 of the Representation of the People Act (Cap. 1:03) states:-
(1) The election agent of each group of candidates may appoint one of the candidates, hereinafter in this Part referred to as a the “duly appointed candidate: to attend the poll at a polling place.

(2) Notice in writing of the appointment of a duly appointed candidate, stating his name and address, shall be signed by the election agent and delivered to the returning officer of the district in which the polling place is situate not later than the 7th day before election day.

(3) There shall not be more than one duly appointed candidate of the same list of candidates for any one poling place.

(4) Nothing in this section shall preclude a candidate being a duly appointed candidate for two or more polling places whether or not in the same district.

Opening of poll :
Section 77 of the Representation of the People Act (Cap. 1:03) states :
At the hour specified in the notice of poll for the opening of the poll the presiding officer, in the presence of such persons, if any, (being persons entitled to enter the polling place) as are present, shall –
** open the ballot box and ensure that there are no ballot papers or other papers therein and allow any authorised person present to make an entry in the poll book attesting to this fact;
** lock the ballot box, retain the key thereof and place his seal upon the ballot box in such manner as to prevent it being opened without breaking the seal;
** place the ballot box on a table in full view of all present where it shall remain until the poll is closed;
** call upon the electors to vote.

Application to vote to hand identity paper to poll clerk :
Section 78 of the Representation of the People Act (Cap. 1:03) states :
(1) Each applicant to vote shall, upon entering the room where the poll is held, and after procuring his identity paper if made available for his procurement at the polling place in pursuance of section 43, state to the poll clerk his name, address and occupation and hand to him
** his voter identification card; and
** if he has been appointed to vote as a proxy on behalf of another elector, the voter identification card of that elector and his notice of appointment to vote as proxy; and
** if he claims to be entitled to vote at the polling place by virtue of section 29(4) his certificate of employment.

(2) The poll clerk shall ascertain if the name of the applicant and that of any elector on whose behalf he holds a notice of appointment to vote as a proxy appear on the official list of electors, or part thereof, for the polling place and shall further ascertain whether any notice of appointment to vote as proxy is recorded in the copy of the list of proxies.

(3) Where there is contained in the official list of electors, or part thereof, a name or other particulars which correspond so closely with the name or other particulars entered on the voter identification card of an applicant to vote as to suggest that the entry in the official list or part thereof is intended to refer to him, the applicant shall, upon taking an oath of identity in Form 19, be deemed to be the person so named in the official list or part thereof.

(4) Where an applicant to vote hands to the poll clerk both his voter identification card and his certificate of employment, the poll clerk shall add his name to the official list of electors or part thereof and shall make an appropriate entry in the poll book.

(5) The poll clerk shall, after the foregoing provisions of this section have been complied with, return to the applicant to vote his voter identification card together with any other documents he has received from the applicant and direct him to hand the same to the presiding officer and apply to him for a ballot paper.

Duty of presiding officer upon application for a ballot paper :
Section 79 of the Representation of the People Act (Cap. 1:03) states :
(1) Upon receipt of the identity paper and other documents as directed under section 78(5) and upon application made to him for a ballot paper the presiding officer shall satisfy himself as to following –
** that the applicant has not already voted;
** the identity of the applicant and his entitlement to vote at the polling place;
** the authority of the applicant to vote as a proxy on behalf of another elector (if he applies so to vote).

(2) For the purposes of subsection (1) the presiding officer may :
** examine the applicant’s fingers to ascertain if there appears on them any stain of electoral ink;
** compare the signature of the applicant with that on his identity papers;
** compare any photograph on his voter identification card with his face;
** compare the thumb print or other finger print recorded on his identity paper with that of the applicant;
** examine his notice of appointment (if any) to vote as a proxy on behalf of another elector and compare the particulars in the notice with those recorded in the copy of the list of proxies;
** make such further comparisons as are reasonably necessary between the particulars recorded on his identify paper and those of the applicant;
** require the applicant to take an oath of identify in Form pursuant to section 78(3).

(3) An applicant shall :
** comply with any requirement of the presiding officer made pursuant to subsection (2)(h);
** comply with such requirements of the presiding officer for the examination of his fingers, the taking and recording of his thumb or finger print, of his signature and of his height as are reasonably necessary for the purposes of subsection (1);
** answer such questions as the presiding officer may ask as are reasonably necessary to ask for the aforesaid purposes.

(4) References in subsection (2) to the identity of any applicant shall be construed to include references to his registration card if available pursuant to any direction given under section 40(1)(i).

Issue of ballot paper to elector :
Section 80 of the Representation of the People Act (Cap. 1:03) states:
(1) The presiding officer shall refuse to issue a ballot paper to any applicant therefore who does not hand to him his identity paper and other documents as directed under section 78(5) and he shall refuse to issue a ballot paper to any applicant if he is not satisfied as required by section 79(1); but if such identity paper and other documents are handed to him and he is so satisfied he shall –
** deliver to the elector a ballot paper stamped with the official mark;
** enter on the counterfoil of the ballot paper the serial number of the elector on the official list of electors;
** add to his copy of the official list of electors or part thereof the name of an elector who has produced to him a certificate of employment;
** place a mark on his copy of the official list of electors, or part thereof, to show that a ballot paper has been delivered to the elector but without showing the particular ballot paper issued;
** return to the elector his identity paper, and also if he has been appointed to vote as proxy on behalf of another elector the identity paper of that elector unless any such identity paper has been provided at the polling place in pursuance of section 43.”

(2) If the elector has been appointed to vote as a proxy on behalf of another elector the presiding officer shall –
** deliver to him, in addition to his own ballot paper, a ballot paper for each elector on whose behalf he has been appointed to vote as a proxy and shall enter on the counterfoil of such ballot paper the number on the official list of electors of the elector on behalf of whom he has been appointed and place a mark as prescribed by subsection (1)(d) on his copy of the official list of electors, or part thereof, to show that a ballot paper has been issued on behalf of each such elector;
** retain the notice of appointment to vote as proxy of the elector.