Qualification of voters at elections of vestrymen. LAWS OF BARBADOS. CAP. II. (Assented to 31st December 1884.) BARBADOS. An Act to amend An Act of the twenty fourth day of March one thousand eight hundred and seventy four, entitled, "An Act to consolidate and amend the several Acts of this Island relating to Vestries," and also to amend "The Vestries Amendment Act, 1879." W HEREAS it is expedient to amend the Act of the twenty fourth day of March one thousand eight hundred and seventy four, entitled, "An Act to consolidate and amend the several Acts of this Island relating to Vestries, " hereinafter in this Act called "The Vestries Act, 1874," and also to amend "The Vestries Amendment Act, 1879"; Be it therefore enacted by the Governor, Council, and Assembly of this Island, and by the authority of the same, as follows; 1. Every person entitled to vote for the time being at any election of members for any parish (other than the parish of Saint Michael) to serve in the General Assembly, shall be qualified to vote at any election of members to serve in the Vestry for the same parish in respect of which he is entitled to vote at any election of members to serve in the General Assembly; and every person entitled to vote for the time being at any election of members either for the rural portion of the parish of Saint Michael or for the City of Bridgetown to serve in the General Assembly shall be qualified to vote at any election of members to serve in the Vestry for the parish of Saint Michael. SESSION OF 1884-'85. II. The Colonial Secretary shall before the holding of any election for vestrymen furnish the Parochial Treasurer of each parish with a certified copy of the last lists which shall have been taken of the electors appearing on such lists as being entitled to vote for every such parish for which any such election for vestrymen shall be about to be held; and in the event of the office of Parochial Treasurer of any parish being vacant the Colonial Secretary shall furnish the Churchwarden of such parish with such lists, and if there shall be no Churchwarden of such parish, the Colonial Secretary shall furnish the elector of such parish who shall first apply to him with such lists, and every such Parochial Treasurer, Churchwarden or elector so furnished with such lists shall lay or cause the same to be laid before the sheriff at the election of Vestrymen for the parish for which he shall be Parochial Treasurer, Churchwarden or elector, when and so soon as the person to act as sheriff shall be duly sworn to act as such. III. If any Parochial Treasurer, Churchwarden or elector who may be furnished with such lists as are mentioned in the last preceding section shall add to, alter, strike out, falsify, erase or deface any such lists, or shall decline or refuse or wilfully neglect to lay or cause to be laid such lists before the sheriff at any election to which such lists relate he shall be subject to a penalty not exceeding fifty pounds to be recovered on the complaint of any elector before any Police Magistrate as in the case of servants wages, one half to be paid to such elector and the other half to the Clerk of the Vestry of the parish to be by the latter paid to Colonial Secretary to furnish Parochial before any election Treasurer, or Churchwarden or elector who first applies, with a copy of list of electors, for use at the election, Parochial Treasu rer, Churchwarden, or elector who tampers with list so furnished to be liable to a penalty not exceeding £50. General election of Who to act as sheriff. LAWS OF BARBADOS. the Parochial Treasurer of the parish for the use of the parish, and if not paid within fourteen days after final judgment the offender shall be committed to prison for a period not exceeding three months. IV. The parishioners in every parish vestrymen, when to duly qualified to vote for vestrymen shall take place. on the first Monday in January in every year repair to the place provided by law for the holding of elections of Vestrymen for such parish; the senior Justice of the Peace present, and if no Justice of the Peace be present then the vestryman first named in the Church books present shall act as the Sheriff at such election, and in case there shall be no Justice of the Peace or vestryman present, or if either of them liable to act as sheriff at any such election shall decline or refuse or from any cause whatever be unable to act as sheriff at any such election the electors then present or a majority of them may appoint any elector present who may be willing to discharge the duties of sheriff to act as sheriff at such election, and such election shall begin between the hours of ten and eleven o'clock in the morning, and the said Sheriff before commencing his duties shall take the following oath before any Justice of the Peace or intending candidate present, who is hereby empowered and required to administer the same, namely; Time election is to begin. Oath of sheriff. SESSION OF 1884-'85. "of my judgment. So help me V. Within one hour after the beginning of any election in manner aforesaid the name of every candidate shall be proposed by an elector having a right to vote; and every candidate or the person proposing him shall thereupon if required so to do by any two electors having a right to vote, declare on oath the nature and particulars of his qualification, such oath to be administered by the sheriff. Proposal of candi. dates' names. In what case poll VI. If at the expiration of one hour after the beginning of any election in to be taken. manner aforesaid, no more candidates stand proposed than there are vacancies to be filled up, the sheriff shall forthwith declare the candidates who may stand proposed, to be elected, but if at the expiration of such hour more candidates stand proposed than there are vacancies to be filled up the sheriff shall adjourn the election and shall take a poll in manner in this Act mentioned. VII. In case of a poll being required as last aforesaid the same shall be opened on the Monday next following the Monday on which the candidates have been proposed, at the place provided by law for the purpose between the hours of eight and nine o'clock in the morning, and the polling shall continue until four o'clock in the afternoon of the same day, and no poll shall be kept open later than four o'clock in the afternoon or commence before eight o'clock in the morning. Provided always that with the consent of the candidates present or in the absence of any candidate of the elector who proposed him, it shall be lawful for the When poll is to be opened and how long it is to be kept open. How poll is to be taken. What enquiries may be made at the time of polling as to the right of any per Bon to vote. LAWS OF BARBADOS. sheriff to close the poll previous to the time fixed for that purpose. VIII. Upon all elections of members to serve in the several vestries where a poll shall be taken the sheriff shall prepare a paper or papers with as many columns as there are candidates, and the names of each of the candidates shall be set down at the top of one of the columns, and no person's name shall be so set down except such as have been duly proposed on the Monday previous to the commencement of the polling, and whose qualification shall have been duly sworn to, if required, as hereinbefore mentioned, and the name of each voter shall be subscribed by the sheriff or by some person or persons by him appointed for that purpose under each of the candidates names for whom such voter votes. IX. No enquiry shall be permitted at the time of polling as to the right of any person to vote except as hereinafter provided, that is to say, the sheriff shall if required on behalf of any candidate put to any voter at the time of his tendering his vote and not afterwards, the questions following or any of them and no other; |