St Helena : St Helena's New Elections Law
Submitted by Saint Helena Herald (Public Relations Information Office) 05.09.2009 (Article Archived on 19.09.2009)
The Elections Bill was approved at Legislative Council on 24 August and the new law will take effect from 1 September 2009.
New Elections Law
The Elections Bill was approved at Legislative Council on 24 August and the new law will take effect from 1 September 2009.
The new law makes important changes to the rules as to who may vote in elections. In particular, St. Helenians who were not eligible to have their names included in the Registers of Electors published on 27 July 2009 (because they had returned to the Island during the preceding year) will be able to apply to have their names added in time to vote in the General Election scheduled to be held in November 2009.
Eligible people who did not take the opportunity to register previously can also do so now.
Also, certain people whose names are on the existing registers might no longer be eligible to vote because they do not have St. Helenian status. Anyone who is eligible to vote can apply to have these names removed.
Copies of the current Registers can be inspected at the following locations
In Jamestown at the Public Library, and the Community Centre;
In Half Tree Hollow at the Police Station, the Supermarket and the Community Centre;
In St Paul’s at the Police Station at White Gate, the Scotland Office and the Kingshurst Community Centre;
In Blue Hill at the Head O’Wain Clinic and Mrs Audrey Yon’s Shop;
In Sandy Bay at the Community Centre and at Solomons and Thorpes Shops;
In Levelwood at the Silver Hill Shop;
In Longwood at the Police Station, the Community Centre and the Supermarket; and
In Alarm Forest at the Police Station or at the Harford Community Centre.
In addition, registers can be inspected between 9am and 12.30pm at the Office of the Registration Officer, The Castle and at the Office of the Assistant Registration Officer on Ascension from Mondays to Fridays. Copies are also on notice boards around the Island and are available for inspection from Assistant Registration Officers.
Applications to amend the registers can be made on the prescribed form which is available on request from the Clerk of Councils or the Assistant Registration Officers.
For the East Electoral Area the Assistant Registration Officers are, in the Jamestown Polling District: Mr Douglas Bennett, Mrs Jill Young, Mrs Alicia Thomas and Mrs Olive Williams; in the Levelwood Polling District: Mr Ronald Coleman and Mrs Valerie Moyce; in the Longwood Polling District: Miss Priscilla Isaac, Mr Peter Johnson and Miss Paula Moyce and in the Alarm Forest Polling District: Mrs Jane Augustus and Mrs Brenda Thomas. For the West Electoral Area, the Assistant Registration Officers are: in the Half Tree Hollow Polling District: Mrs Karen Yon, and Miss Michelle Yon; for the St Paul's Polling District: Mr John Lawrence and Mrs Maria Yon; for the Blue Hill Polling District: Mrs Elizabeth March and Mrs Lorrian Yon, and for the Sandy Bay Polling District: Mrs Phyllis Coleman and Miss Anita Legg.
Completed forms should be sent to the Registration Officer, The Castle, Jamestown by no later than 9am on Monday 14 September 2009 and persons who are submitting forms through Assistant Registration Officers should ensure that they do so in good time to meet this deadline.
All applications have to be published, to allow an opportunity for objections, before any decision is made.
Gillian A Francis
Registration Officer
27 August 2009
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