Section 57
Impersonation by applicant to vote(1) If at the time a person applies to vote and before he or she has left the polling unit, a Polling Agent, polling unit official or security agent informs the Presiding officer that he or she has reasonable cause to believe that the person is under the age of 18 years or has committed the offence of impersonation and gives an undertaking on a prescribed form to substantiate the charge in a court of law, the Presiding officer may order a police officer to arrest that person and the Presiding officer’s order shall be sufficient authority for the police officer to act.
(2) A person in respect of whom a Polling Agent, polling official, or security agent gives an information in accordance with the provision of subsection (1) shall not by reason of the information, be prevented from voting, but the Presiding officer shall cause the words “protested against for impersonation” to be placed against his or her name in the marked copy of the register of voters or part of the register of voters.
(3) Where a person in respect of whom a declaration is made under subsection (2), admits to the Presiding officer that he or she is not the person he or she held themselves out to be, he or she shall not be permitted to vote and shall be handed over to the police or security agent.
(4) A person arrested under this section shall be deemed to be a person taken into custody by a police officer.
This section seeks to ensure that only persons who are qualified can vote by indicating the procedure to be followed where an intending voter is suspected of impersonation or being underage. In such cases, the person can be taken into custody.
The punishment for the offence of impersonation is contained in Section 119 of the Act.
