In short
This law, the Local Elections Act, 1972, updates previous laws concerning local elections. It primarily changes who can vote in local elections, removes certain disqualifications for serving on local bodies, and alters the schedule for holding local elections and related appointments.
What it regulates
- The eligibility criteria for being registered as a local government elector.
- Disqualifications for membership in local authorities, vocational education committees, and county committees of agriculture.
- The years in which local elections are to be held.
- The schedule for appointments of members to school attendance committees and certain meetings of vocational education committees.
Who it concerns
- Individuals who wish to vote in local elections.
- Individuals who are elected, chosen, or appointed to local authorities, vocational education committees, or county committees of agriculture.
Key points
- To be a local government elector, a person must be at least twenty-one years old and ordinarily resident in the local electoral area on the qualifying date.
- Receiving general assistance or having been adjudicated bankrupt or made an arrangement with creditors no longer disqualifies a person from being a member of a local authority, vocational education committee, or county committee of agriculture.
- Local elections for members of every local authority will be held in 1973 and every five years thereafter.
- Appointments for school attendance committees and certain meetings of vocational education committees will also follow a quinquennial schedule starting in 1973.
đ Legal text
Local Elections Act, 1972
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1972
Local Elections Act, 1972
Local Elections Act, 1972
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Number 12 of 1972
LOCAL ELECTIONS ACT, 1972
ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS
Section
1.
Amendment of section 5 (2) of Electoral Act, 1963.
2.
Removal of certain membership disqualifications with regard to local authorities and certain other related bodies.
3.
Alteration of years for holding local elections.
4.
Alteration of years for making appointments of members of school attendance committees.
5.
Provision with respect to certain meetings of vocational education committees.
6.
Short title, collective citations and construction.
Acts Referred to
Electoral Act, 1963
1963, No. 19
Public Assistance Act, 1939
1939, No. 27
Local Elections Act, 1966
1966, No. 28
School Attendance Act, 1926
1926, No. 17
Vocational Education Act, 1930
1930, No. 29
Number 12 of 1972
LOCAL ELECTIONS ACT, 1972
AN ACT TO AMEND
SECTION 5
OF THE
ELECTORAL ACT, 1963
, TO REMOVE CERTAIN MEMBERSHIP DISQUALIFICATIONS WITH REGARD TO LOCAL AUTHORITIES AND CERTAIN OTHER RELATED BODIES, TO ALTER THE YEARS FOR HOLDING LOCAL ELECTIONS AND TO MAKE PROVISION FOR CERTAIN OTHER MATTERS CONNECTED WITH LOCAL ELECTIONS. [4th July, 1972]
BE IT ENACTED BY THE OIREACHTAS AS FOLLOWS:
Amendment of section 5 (2) of Electoral Act, 1963.
1.â
Section 5
(2) of the
Electoral Act, 1963
, is hereby amended by the substitution of the following paragraph for paragraphs (a), (b), (c) and (d):
â(a) A person shall be entitled to be registered as a local government elector in a local electoral area if he has reached the age of twenty-one years and he was, on the qualifying date, ordinarily resident in that area.â.
Removal of certain membership disqualifications with regard to local authorities and certain other related bodies.
2.â(1) A person shall not be disqualified for being elected, chosen, appointed or being a member of a local authority, a vocational education committee or a county committee of agriculture becauseâ
(a) within twelve months either before or since his election or being so chosen or appointed, he has received general assistance within the meaning of the
Public Assistance Act, 1939
, or
(b) within five years either before or since his election or being so chosen or appointed, he has been adjudicated bankrupt, or made an arrangement with his creditors.
(2) The following provisions of Article 12 of the Schedule to the Local Government (Application of Enactments) Order, 1898, shall, with respect to membership of a local authority, a vocational education committee or a county committee of agriculture, cease to have effect, namely:
(a) subparagraph (b) of paragraph (4),
(b) âor has, within or during the time aforesaid, been adjudged bankrupt, or made a composition or arrangement with his creditorsâ in subparagraph (c) of paragraph (4), and
(c) paragraph (7).
Alteration of years for holding local elections.
3.â(1)
Section 81
(1) of the
Electoral Act, 1963
, as amended by
section 1
of the
Local Elections Act, 1966
, is hereby amended by the substitution of the following paragraph for paragraph (a):
â(a) An election of members of every local authority shall be held in the year 1973 and quinquennially thereafter.â.
(2) The terms of office of members of local authorities current at the passing of this Act shall stand extended so as to be in accordance with the holding in the year 1973 of the elections of members of local authorities next after the passing of this Act and those elections shall be regarded for all purposes as quinquennial elections.
Alteration of years for making appointments of members of school attendance committees.
4.âThe appointments next after the passing of this Act under
section 10
of the
School Attendance Act, 1926
, shall be made in the year 1973 and shall be regarded as quinquennial appointments.
Provision with respect to certain meetings of vocational education committees.
5.âThe meetings next after the passing of this Act under
section 14
of the
Vocational Education Act, 1930
, shall be regarded as quinquennial meetings.
Short title, collective citations and construction.
6.â(1) This Act may be cited as the Local Elections Act, 1972.
(2) The Local Elections Acts, 1963 to 1966, and this Act may be cited together as the Local Elections Acts, 1963 to 1972, and shall be construed together as one Act.
(3) The collective citation, the Electoral Acts, 1923 to 1972, shall include
sections 1
and
2
of this Act.
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