Elections (Amendment) Bill

The gazetting of the Elections (Amendment) Bill, 2016, paves the way for the bill to be debated in the upcoming sitting of Legislative Assembly.

The Elections (Amendment) Bill, 2016 amends the Elections Law (2013 Revision) to make the Elections Law compatible with the provisions as set out in the Nineteen Single Member Electoral Districts Boundaries Order, 2015.

The Elections (Amendment) Bill, 2016, also includes modernization changes including provisions for the voter registration process to be made electronically, for ballot papers to include pictures of Candidates and symbols indicating the Candidates party or an independent symbol, and for postal ballot papers to send via trackable courier.

Notably, the bill includes provisions for the Supervisor of Elections to petition the Court for a declaration in relation to whether a person meets the constitutional requirements to be nominated as a candidate. Further, provisions increase campaign finance limits, in-line with inflation, to a maximum $36,000 for a candidate from a political party and a maximum of $42,000 for each independent candidate.