The voting documents shall be delivered personally to residents in retirement homes. The same procedure shall apply to patients in hospitals unless they would have been delivered to them prior to admittance.
The residents/patients may opt to retain possession of the voting document or else they may opt to give it to the Chairman of the sub-committee for safekeeping. The Chairman of the sub-committe will return the voting document on the day fixed for voting or when so requested by the voter.
Voters in retirement homes/hospitals have the option to chose the manner in which they are to proceed to the polling station. They may opt to proceed on their own or else they may opt to proceed with the assistence of members of the staff or with members of their family. The voters are expected to make a choice. There is no provision in the law for the residents/patients to inform the authorities that they ought to mind their own business through the use of appropriate language.
The sub-committee is obliged in terms of subarticle 83(2) of the Act to ascertain the manner in which voters intend to proceed to vote and thereafter to inform the delegates of the political parties of the options chosen. It is expected that once voters decide on the selected option in which they are to proceed to vote they do not change their mind unless they have special permission from the sub-committee as is provided in subarticle 83(7) of the Act!
A medical consultant having in his care any voter in a hospital or retirement home may draw attention to any dangers which may result if a voter is moved for the purposes of being taken to vote. His advice may however be ignored by the voter or his next of kin where applicable.
Voters who opt to be accompanied by members of staff shall be so accompanied by staff forming a pool nominated by the political parties. If there are not sufficient members of staff the Electoral Commission at the request of the political parties must ensure that sufficent additional personnel are transferred as required!
On the day fixed for voting access to retirement homes/hospitals shall be restricted. Such access shall be limited to members of the sub-committee, members of staff and those relatives authorised to accompany voters to vote.
All those accomanying voters shall only accompany them as far as the door of the polling booth.
to be continued : tomorrow (5) Infringement of data protection legislation
Blog ta' Carmel Cacopardo 