Elections Nova Scotia

Election Officers in the Field

 

Returning Officer      

Returning officers are responsible for conducting an election or by-election in the electoral district in which they were appointed. they are appointed by the chief electoral officer for a term of 10 years.

Election Clerk

The election clerk functions as the assistant to the returning officer, and has the powers of the returning officer when the returning officer is absent or unable to act.  They are appointed by the returning officer.

Deputy Presiding Officer/Revision Assistant

The DPO/revision assistant will be the lead person in your office for the production and management of the list of electors.  It is also their responsibility to revise the Preliminary List of Electors, to prepare the Revised List of Electors for the advance poll, and the Official List of Electors for election day. 

They are selected and appointed by the returning officer.

Presiding Officer

The presiding officer will be the person in your office responsible for the continuous poll and the write-in ballot poll in the returning office.  The presiding officer is also responsible for supervising the write-in ballot coordinator teams.

They are selected and appointed by the returning officer. 

Write-in Ballot Coordinator Team (WIBC Team)

A write-in ballot coordinator team consists of a write-in ballot coordinator and an assistant write-in ballot coordinator. 

They provide a voting opportunity for those electors who may not otherwise be able to vote by visiting them at home or in a residential centre.

The write-in ballot coordinator is nominated by the registered party whose candidates finished first in the last election (or by-election) in the electoral district

The assistant write-in ballot coordinator is nominated by the registered party whose candidates finished second in the last election (or by-election) in each electoral district.

They are appointed by the returning officer

Enumerators

Enumerators work in pairs and each pair consists of  one enumerator who is nominated  by the registered party whose candidate finished first in the last election (or by-election) in their electoral district and one enumerator nominated by the registered party whose candidate finished second.

Each pair of enumerators goes to the area targeted for enumeration to collect the names and particulars of each person living at the civic addresses in that area.

They are appointed by the returning officer.

Deputy Returning Officer

The deputy returning officer represents the returning officer at a polling station and is responsible for the conduct of the poll.

They are nominated by the registered party whose candidates finished first in the last election (or by-election) in each electoral district.

They are appointed by the returning officer.

Poll Clerk

The poll clerk ensures the elector is qualified and registered to vote and works with the deputy returning officer to guarantee the  smooth running of the poll

They are the registered party whose candidates finished second in the last election (or by-election) in the electoral district

They are appointed by the returning officer.

Supervising Deputy Returning Officer

The supervising deputy returning officer (SDRO) is appointed for multiple poll locations containing three or more polling stations.

They are responsible for the overall conduct of the polling location. 

 They are appointed by the returning officer

Constables

A constable is responsible to maintain peace and good order at the polling location and to assist with traffic control especially at polling locations where there is a concern about the safety of children or older adults.

They are appointed by the returning officer

Ballot Box Couriers

A ballot box courier is responsible to collect and transport the voting materials from returning officers, in geographically large electoral districts and deliver them to the returning officer.

Information Officers

An information officer is responsible to greet electors as they enter a polling location and to direct them to an available election officer.

They are appointed by the returning officer.

Candidate’s Agent

They are responsible to observe the entire voting process but may not hinder it in any way.

A candidate’s agent represents a particular candidate at a polling location and is appointed by that candidate.

 

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