ELECTORAL ACT ____________________________________________________________________________________ PART VI OBJECTIONS TO REGISTRATION OF VOTERS 27 Objections by voter registration officer [Heading amended by Second Schedule to Act No. 3 of 2016] (1) Subject to subsection (7), if a voter registration officer has reason to believe that��� (a) a claimant is not entitled to be registered; or (b) a claimant is not entitled to be registered on the voters roll on which he or she has claimed to be registered; or (c) a voter registered on a voters roll is not qualified for registration on that voters roll; the voter registration officer shall send to the claimant or voter, as the case may be, written notice of objection to which a form of notice of appeal shall be annexed: Provided that no such objection shall be taken or notice sent during an election period (other than during an election period referred to in paragraph (c) or (e) of the definition of the term “election period” in section 4(2), if the objection or notice does not relate to a claimant or voter who may vote at an election referred to in those paragraphs). [Proviso substituted by section 24 of Act No. 17 of 2007] [Subsection amended by Second Schedule to Act No. 3 of 2016] (2) A notice of objection in terms of subsection (1) shall be in the prescribed form and shall set forth— (a) the grounds of objection; and (b) that, unless notice of appeal is given within a time stated therein, being not less than seven days, or the voter registration officer, on representations made by the person to whom the objection relates, withdraws his or her objection, the claim will be rejected and the claimant registered on the appropriate voters roll or the voter’s name struck off the voters roll, as the case may be. [Paragraph amended by Second Schedule to Act No. 3 of 2016] (3) If— (a) notice of appeal is not duly given or is withdrawn and the voter registration officer does not withdraw his or her objection, the voter registration officer shall reject the claim, register the claimant on the appropriate voters roll or strike the voter’s name off the voters roll, as the case may be; [Paragraph amended by Second Schedule to Act No. 3 of 2016] (b) notice of appeal is duly given— (i) the voter registration officer shall, unless he or she withdraws his or her objection, forthwith set down the objection for hearing before a designated magistrate of the province in which the claimant or voter resides; and [Subparagraph amended by Second Schedule to Act No. 3 of 2016] (ii) the designated magistrate shall appoint a day and place for the hearing, the day so appointed being not more than thirty days after the date of receipt of the notice of appeal from the voter registration officer. [Subparagraph amended by Second Schedule to Act No. 3 of 2016] (4) The voter registration officer shall give written notice to the appellant of the day and place appointed for the hearing. [Subsection amended by Second Schedule to Act No. 3 of 2016] (5) A notice of appeal shall be accompanied by the prescribed fee. (6) The appellant may withdraw his or her appeal on written notice to the voter registration officer, and, if the objection has been set down in terms of subsection (3) for hearing, the voter registration officer shall notify the designated magistrate of such withdrawal. [Subsection amended by Second Schedule to Act No. 3 of 2016] 38