Referendums Act 1997

The commission must ensure that appropriate polling booths are established for electoral districts for referendums.

In deciding the number, kind and location of polling booths, the commission must take into account, in addition to any other relevant matters, the desirability of the booths being—

the same as polling booths for the Electoral Act 1992; and

accessible to electors with disabilities.

The commission must ensure that each polling booth is provided with an adequate number of voting compartments and ballot papers.

The commission must advertise, in the ways the commission considers appropriate, including, for example, on the commission’s website, the following information about each polling booth for a referendum—

the electoral districts for which an ordinary vote may be made at the polling booth;

the location of the polling booth;

the voting hours of the polling booth.

The commission must not—

establish a polling booth on the polling day for a referendum; or

abolish a previously established ordinary polling booth during the period starting when the writ for a referendum is issued and ending on the polling day, unless it is necessary to do so for circumstances beyond the commission’s control.

The commission must advertise the establishment and abolition of ordinary polling booths in the ways the commission considers appropriate, including, for example, on the commission’s website.

The commission must ensure that—

electors are allowed to enter ordinary polling booths between 8a.m. and 6p.m. on the polling day and to stay until they have voted; and

electors mentioned in section 16(4) and (6) are allowed to enter mobile polling booths, at times decided in writing by the commission, during the period referred to in the subsections and to stay until they have voted.