Electoral Act 1993

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203 Infringement of secrecy

(1)

Every electoral official, polling place official, scrutineer, or other person appointed for the purposes of this Act shall use or disclose information acquired by him or her in that capacity only in accordance with his or her official duty or his or her duty as a scrutineer, as the case may require.

(2)

No person, except for some purpose authorised by law, shall—

(a)

interfere with or attempt to interfere with a voter when marking his or her vote:

(b)

attempt to obtain in a polling place information as to the candidate for whom or the party for which a voter in the polling place is about to vote or has voted:

(c)

communicate at any time to any person any information obtained in a polling place as to the candidate for whom or the party for which any voter at the polling place is about to vote or has voted, or as to the consecutive number on the ballot paper given to any voter at the polling place.

(3)

Every person in attendance at the counting of the votes shall maintain and aid in maintaining the secrecy of the voting, and shall not communicate any information obtained at the counting as to the candidate for whom or the party for which any vote is given in any particular ballot paper.

(4)

No person shall directly or indirectly induce any voter to display his or her ballot paper after he or she has marked it, so as to make known to any person the name of any candidate for or against whom he or she has voted or the name of the party for which he or she has voted.

Compare: 1956 No 107 s 132(1)–(4); 1983 No 104 s 20

Section 203(1): amended, on 28 February 2002, by section 101(1) of the Electoral Amendment Act 2002 (2002 No 1).

Section 203(2)(b): substituted, on 28 February 2002, by section 101(1) of the Electoral Amendment Act 2002 (2002 No 1).

Section 203(2)(c): substituted, on 28 February 2002, by section 101(1) of the Electoral Amendment Act 2002 (2002 No 1).

Section 203(4): amended, on 6 December 1995, by section 73(2) of the Electoral Amendment Act (No 2) 1995 (1995 No 61).