24General postal voters

24 General postal voters (1) A person may apply to the Commission in the prescribed form to be a general postal voter if the person is— (a) an elector whose principal place of residence is not within 20 kilometres, by the nearest practicable route, of an election day voting centre; or S. 24(1)(aa) inserted by No. 30/2018 s. 7. (aa) an elector who is entitled to be treated as an eligible overseas elector under section 94, 94A or 95 of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918; or (b) an elector who by reason of being seriously ill or infirm is unable to travel to an election day voting centre; or (c) an elector who, because he or she will be at a place (other than a hospital) caring for a person who is seriously ill or infirm, is unable to travel from that place to an election day voting centre; or S. 24(1)(ca) inserted by No. 38/2005 s. 3. (ca) an elector who has attained 70 years of age; or (d) an elector who— (i) is serving a sentence of imprisonment; or (ii) is otherwise in lawful custody or detention; or (e) a silent elector; or (f) an elector who because of his or her religious beliefs or membership of a religious order— (i) is precluded from attending an election day voting centre; or (ii) for the greater part of the hours of voting on election day, is precluded from attending an election day voting centre. (2) An application in the prescribed form to the Commission to be a general postal voter may be made by a person on behalf of an elector certified in writing by a registered medical practitioner to be so physically incapacitated that the elector cannot sign the elector's name. (3) The certificate referred to in subsection (2) must be forwarded to the Commission with the application under subsection (2) to which it relates. (4) An application to be a general postal voter received by the Commission during the period that— (a) starts at 8 p.m. on the day of the close of the roll; and (b) ends at 6 p.m. on election day— must not be considered until after the expiration of that period. (5) The Commission must process an application to be a general postal voter in accordance with the regulations. (6) The Commission— (a) may accept or reject an application under subsection (1) or (2); and (b) must advise the person in writing of a decision to reject the application.