Ballot Secrecy Act 2023

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<section xmlns="http://docs.oasis-open.org/legaldocml/ns/akn/3.0" xmlns:uk="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/namespaces/UK-AKN" xmlns:ukl="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/namespaces/legislation" eId="section-1"><num>1</num><heading>Amendment of the Representation of the People Act 1983</heading><content><p><mod>In the Representation of the People Act 1983, before section 63 insert—<quotedStructure startQuote="&#x201C;" endQuote="&#x201D;" uk:context="body" uk:docName="ukpga" ukl:TargetClass="primary" ukl:TargetSubClass="unknown" ukl:Context="main" ukl:Format="double"><section><num>62C</num><heading>Influencing voters at polling booths</heading><subsection><num>(1)</num><intro><p>A person who—</p></intro><level class="para1"><num>(a)</num><content><p>is with another person at a polling booth, and</p></content></level><level class="para1"><num>(b)</num><content><p>intends to influence that other person to vote in a particular way or to refrain from voting,</p></content></level><wrapUp><p>commits an offence.</p></wrapUp></subsection><subsection><num>(2)</num><intro><p>A person who—</p></intro><level class="para1"><num>(a)</num><content><p>is near a polling booth when another person is at that booth, and</p></content></level><level class="para1"><num>(b)</num><content><p>intends to influence that other person to vote in a particular way or to refrain from voting,</p></content></level><wrapUp><p>commits an offence.</p></wrapUp></subsection><subsection><num>(3)</num><intro><p>For the purposes of this section—</p></intro><level class="para1"><num>(a)</num><content><p>a “polling booth” is a compartment in a polling station in which voters can mark votes screened from observation;</p></content></level><level class="para1"><num>(b)</num><content><p>assisting a person with voting, in accordance with rule 39 of Schedule 1 or any other legislation, is not influencing that person to vote in a particular way or to refrain from voting;</p></content></level><level class="para1"><num>(c)</num><content><p>a person may be near one polling booth while at a different polling booth.</p></content></level></subsection><subsection><num>(4)</num><intro><p>A person who commits an offence under this section is liable on summary conviction—</p></intro><level class="para1"><num>(a)</num><content><p>in England and Wales, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months, to a fine or to both;</p></content></level><level class="para1"><num>(b)</num><content><p>in Scotland or Northern Ireland, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months, to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale or to both.</p></content></level></subsection><subsection><num>(5)</num><content><p>This section does not have effect in relation to an election in Scotland or Wales under the local government Act.</p></content></subsection></section></quotedStructure></mod></p></content></section>
<section xmlns="http://docs.oasis-open.org/legaldocml/ns/akn/3.0" xmlns:uk="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/namespaces/UK-AKN" xmlns:ukl="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/namespaces/legislation" xmlns:default="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" eId="section-2"><num>2</num><heading>Amendment of Northern Ireland legislation</heading><subsection eId="section-2-1"><num>(1)</num><intro><p>In the Electoral Law Act (Northern Ireland) <ref eId="c00001" href="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/apni/1962/14">1962 (c. 14 (N.I.))</ref>—</p></intro><level class="para1" eId="section-2-1-a"><num>(a)</num><content><p><mod>in section 111, in subsection (2A), after paragraph (c) insert—<quotedStructure startQuote="&#x201C;" endQuote="&#x201D;" uk:context="body" uk:docName="ukpga" ukl:TargetClass="primary" ukl:TargetSubClass="unknown" ukl:Context="main" ukl:Format="double"><level class="para1"><num>(ca)</num><content><p>in the case of an offence under paragraph 26A of Schedule 9, on summary conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months, to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale or to both;</p></content></level></quotedStructure><inline name="appendText">;</inline></mod></p></content></level><level class="para1" eId="section-2-1-b"><num>(b)</num><content><p><mod>in Part 3 of Schedule 9, after paragraph 26 insert—<quotedStructure startQuote="&#x201C;" endQuote="&#x201D;" uk:context="schedule" uk:docName="ukpga" ukl:TargetClass="primary" ukl:TargetSubClass="unknown" ukl:Context="schedule" ukl:Format="double"><paragraph class="schProv1"><num>26A</num><subparagraph><num>(1)</num><intro><p>A person who—</p></intro><level class="para1"><num>(a)</num><content><p>is with another person at a polling booth, and</p></content></level><level class="para1"><num>(b)</num><content><p>intends to influence that other person to vote in a particular way or to refrain from voting,</p></content></level><wrapUp><p>commits an offence.</p></wrapUp></subparagraph><subparagraph><num>(2)</num><intro><p>A person who—</p></intro><level class="para1"><num>(a)</num><content><p>is near a polling booth when another person is at that booth, and</p></content></level><level class="para1"><num>(b)</num><content><p>intends to influence that other person to vote in a particular way or to refrain from voting,</p></content></level><wrapUp><p>commits an offence.</p></wrapUp></subparagraph><subparagraph><num>(3)</num><intro><p>For the purposes of this paragraph—</p></intro><level class="para1"><num>(a)</num><content><p>a “polling booth” is a compartment in a polling station in which voters can mark votes screened from observation;</p></content></level><level class="para1"><num>(b)</num><content><p>assisting a person with voting, in accordance with rule 36 of Schedule 5 or any other legislation, is not influencing that person to vote in a particular way or to refrain from voting;</p></content></level><level class="para1"><num>(c)</num><content><p>a person may be near one polling booth while at a different polling booth.</p></content></level></subparagraph></paragraph></quotedStructure></mod></p></content></level></subsection><subsection eId="section-2-2"><num>(2)</num><content><p><mod>In Schedule 1 to the Northern Ireland Assembly (Elections) Order 2001 (<ref eId="c00002" href="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/uksi/2001/2599">S.I. 2001/2599</ref>), in the table, before the entry for section 63 of the Representation of the People Act 1983 insert—<quotedStructure startQuote="&#x201C;" endQuote="&#x201D;" uk:context="body" uk:docName="ukpga" ukl:TargetClass="primary" ukl:TargetSubClass="unknown" ukl:Context="main" ukl:Format="double"><tblock class="table" ukl:Orientation="portrait"><foreign><default:table xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><default:tbody><default:tr><default:td><p xmlns="http://docs.oasis-open.org/legaldocml/ns/akn/3.0">Section 62C (influencing voters at polling booths)</p></default:td></default:tr></default:tbody></default:table></foreign></tblock></quotedStructure><inline name="appendText">.</inline></mod></p></content></subsection></section>
<section xmlns="http://docs.oasis-open.org/legaldocml/ns/akn/3.0" eId="section-3"><num>3</num><heading>Extent, commencement and short title</heading><subsection eId="section-3-1"><num>(1)</num><content><p>Section <ref href="#section-1">1</ref>, section <ref href="#section-2">2</ref><ref href="#section-2-2">(2)</ref> and <ref href="#section-3">this section</ref> extend to England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.</p></content></subsection><subsection eId="section-3-2"><num>(2)</num><content><p>Section <ref href="#section-2">2</ref><ref href="#section-2-1">(1)</ref> extends to Northern Ireland only.</p></content></subsection><subsection eId="section-3-3"><num>(3)</num><content><p><ref href="#section-3">This section</ref> comes into force on the day on which this Act is passed.</p></content></subsection><subsection eId="section-3-4"><num>(4)</num><content><p>The other provisions of this Act come into force on such day or days as the Secretary of State may, by regulations, appoint.</p></content></subsection><subsection eId="section-3-5"><num>(5)</num><content><p>Regulations under <ref href="#section-3-4">subsection (4)</ref> may appoint different days for different purposes or areas.</p></content></subsection><subsection eId="section-3-6"><num>(6)</num><content><p>The Secretary of State may, by regulations, make transitional, transitory or saving provision in connection with the coming into force of any provision of this Act.</p></content></subsection><subsection eId="section-3-7"><num>(7)</num><content><p>Regulations under <ref href="#section-3-6">subsection (6)</ref> may make different provision for different purposes or areas.</p></content></subsection><subsection eId="section-3-8"><num>(8)</num><content><p>Regulations under <ref href="#section-3">this section</ref> are to be made by statutory instrument.</p></content></subsection><subsection eId="section-3-9"><num>(9)</num><content><p>This Act may be cited as the Ballot Secrecy Act 2023.</p></content></subsection></section>