General Right to Vote
Constitution:
(1983)
Section 29, subsection (2) states, "Every Commonwealth citizen of
the age of eighteen years or upward who possesses such qualifications relating
to residence or domicile in Saint Christopher and Nevis as Parliament may prescribe
shall, unless he is disqualified by Parliament from registration as such, be
entitled to be registered as a voter for the purpose of electing Representatives
in one (but not more than one) constituency in accordance with the provisions
of any law in that behalf and no other person may be registered as such."
Exclusion Based on Mental
Disability
Constitution:
(1983)
Section 28, subsection (1) states: "A person shall not be qualified
to be elected or appointed as a member if he
(d) is a person certified
to be insane or otherwise adjudge to be of unsound mind under any law."
Electoral Law:
(1952, updated 1962: Constitution and Elections)
Section 9, subsection (1) states: "No person shall be qualified
to be appointed or elected as a member of the Council who
(f) is a person
certified to be insane or otherwise adjudged to be of unsound mind under any
law in force in the Colony
"
Section 43 states: "No person shall be registered as a voter or
be entitled to vote at an election who
(b) is a person adjudged to be of
unsound mind or detained as a criminal lunatic under any law in force in the
Colony
"
Voter Assistance by Other
Citizens
Electoral Law:
(1952, updated 1962: Constitution and Elections)
Section 72, subsection (3) states: "The presiding officer, on the
application of any voter who is incapacitated from any physical cause other
than blindness
from voting in the manner prescribed by this Ordinance,
shall require the voter making such application to make oath
in
Form
No. 13
of his incapacity to vote without assistance, and shall thereafter
assist such voter by marking his ballot paper in the manner directed by such
voter in the presence of the poll clerk and of the sworn agents of the candidates
and of no other person, and shall place such ballot in the ballot box."
Section 72, subsection (4) continues: "The presiding officer shall
either deal with a blind voter
in the same manner as with an otherwise
incapacitated voter, or, at the request of any blind voter
who has taken
the oath
in Form No. 14
and is accompanied by a friend who is a voter
in the polling division, shall permit such friend to accompany the blind
voter
into the voting compartment and mark the voter's ballot paper for him. No person
shall at any election be allowed to act as such friend to more than one voter."
Section 72, subsection (5) states that any friend who marks the ballot
paper for a blind voter is first required to fill out Form No. 15.
Section 72, subsection (6) states "whenever any voter has had his
ballot paper marked as provided in subsection (3) or (4), the poll clerk shall
enter into the poll book opposite the voter's name
the reason why such
ballot paper was so marked."