returning officer
1
7.3
- noun
- UK
:
oficial electoral
- The deputy returning officer records the number of votes received by each candidate and the number of rejected ballots on a Statement of the Vote.
Examples
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The ballots and other election documents are then sealed in the ballot box and delivered to the returning officer.
Blog text (4) -
In Canada, it's done by returning officers.
Blog text (19) -
Nine returning officers and four new ones were invited to contribute two pictures of one type or one subject.
Academic text (2007) -
By contrast, "In Canada, after the polls close, every deputy returning officer counts the votes for his or her polling station, assisted by the poll clerk and witnessed by the candidates or their representatives.
Blog text (4) -
The returning officer announced the election results to the public after verifying the votes.
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Before the election, the returning officer ensured that all the necessary materials were ready for the voting process.
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After each polling station closed, the returning officer collected the ballots for counting.
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is compositionally an 'officer who returns' (i.e. the officer who submits or announces the results), so there is a clear link between the parts. However, the electoral sense of 'return' is specialized and not the prototypical meaning B1 learners know (they more often know 'return' = go back), so the specific role is not fully predictable without exposure.
Etymology
Returning officer comes from an old use of the verb return, which meant 'to send back a report'. The officer would send the winner's name back to the authorities, so today a returning officer is the official who watches the election and officially announces the result.