REFERENDUM ACT 1994
Ballot papers.
24.—(1) At a constitutional referendum—
(a) every ballot paper shall be in the form set out in Part I of the Second Schedule to this Act, and
(b) the proposal which is the subject of the referendum shall be stated on the ballot paper by citing by its short title the Bill containing such proposal passed or deemed to have been passed by both Houses of the Oireachtas.
(2) At an ordinary referendum every ballot paper shall be in the form set out in Part II of the Second Schedule to this Act, and it shall contain a reference to the Bill or the portion of the Bill containing the proposal which is the subject of the referendum.
(3) Where the same day is the polling day at two or more referenda separate ballot papers shall be issued for each referendum.
(4) (a) At a referendum the Minister may, by order, provide for the entry at the beginning of the front of the ballot paper to be used at the referendum of a heading indicative of the proposal which is the subject of the referendum and the referendum returning officer shall cause such heading to be printed on the ballot papers.
(b) Where an order under this subsection is proposed to be made, a draft thereof shall be laid before each House of the Oireachtas and the order shall not be made until a resolution approving of the draft has been passed by each such House.
(5) (a) The ballot papers shall be numbered consecutively on the back and the back of the counterfoil attached to each ballot paper shall bear the same number.
(b) The numbers on the ballot papers shall be printed in the smallest characters compatible with legibility and shall be printed on or about the centre of the paper.
(c) Apart from anything permitted by the form set out in the said Second Schedule nothing shall appear on the ballot paper except in accordance with the provisions of this section.
(6) It shall be the duty of the referendum returning officer to arrange for the printing and procuring of a sufficient quantity of ballot papers and to supply as soon as practicable to every local returning officer such numbers of ballot papers as that officer reasonably requires.
Annotations
Modifications (not altering text):
C13
Prospective affecting provision: section applied with modifications by Electoral (Amendment) Act 2004 (15/2004), ss. 6(b), 7 and sch. 3 para. (h), not commenced as of date of revision.
Application of certain provisions of relevant enactments
6.—The provisions of— ...
(b) Parts I, II and IV of the Act of 1994,
...
shall, subject to the modifications specified in Schedule 1, 2, 3 or 4 to this Act, apply and have effect in relation to voting and vote counting under this Part at a relevant election or, as the case may be, a referendum.
Modification of relevant enactments in their application for purposes of Act
7.—Schedules 1 to 4 to this Act have effect for the purpose of modifying certain enactments in so far as those enactments apply for the purposes of this Act.
SCHEDULE 3
Modification of Certain Provisions of Act of 1994
For the purpose of the application by virtue of this Act to voting and the counting of votes at a referendum of certain provisions of the Act of 1994, the said provisions as so applied shall have effect as if—
...
(h) in section 24 of that Act—
(i) there were inserted “or Part IA” after “Part I” in paragraph (a) of subsection (1);
(ii) there were inserted “or Part IIA” after “Part II” in subsection (2); and
(iii) there were inserted “for postal and special voters” after “ballot papers” in each place where those words occur in paragraphs (a) and (b) of subsection (5);
...
Editorial Notes:
E11
Previous affecting provision: power pursuant to subs. 4(a) exercised (15.05.2001) by Referendum (Ballot Paper) (No. 4) Order 2001 (S.I. No. 205 of 2001), art. 2; spent as per art. 2.
E12
Previous affecting provision: power pursuant to subs. 4(a) exercised (15.05.2001) by Referendum (Ballot Paper) (No. 3) Order 2001 (S.I. No. 204 of 2001), art. 2; spent as per art. 2.
E13
Previous affecting provision: power pursuant to subs. 4(a) exercised (15.05.2001) by Referendum (Ballot Paper) Order 2001 (S.I. No. 203 of 2001), art. 2; spent as per art. 2.
E14
Previous affecting provision: power pursuant to subs. 4(a) exercised (8.04.1998) by Referendum (Ballot Paper) Order 1998 (S.I. No. 103 of 1998), art. 2; spent as per art. 2.