In various parliamentary systems, areturning officer is responsible for overseeingelections in one or more constituencies.

InAustralia a returning officer is an employee of theAustralian Electoral Commission or a state electoral commission who heads the local divisional office full-time, and oversees elections in their division, or an employee of a private firm which carries out elections and/or ballots in the private and/or public sectors, or anyone who carries out any election and/or ballot for any group or groups.

InCanada, at the federal level, the returning officer of anelectoral district is appointed for a ten-year term by theChief Electoral Officer. The returning officer is responsible for handling the electoral process in the riding,^[1] and updating theNational Register of Electors with current information about voters in the electoral district to which they are appointed.^[2] Before enactment of theCanada Elections Act in 2000, in the case of a tie between the two leading candidates in an election, the returning officer would cast the deciding vote.^[3] Since 2000, a tie between two leading candidates automatically results in aby-election.^[4]

Theprovinces and territories of Canada each have their own returning officers.

Germany has afederal returning officer, responsible for overseeing elections on a federal level, and a returning officer in eachstate.

InHong Kong, the returning officer is usually an administrative officer of thegovernment.^[5][6]

The returning officer of a parliamentary or assembly constituency is responsible for the conduct of elections in the parliamentary or assembly constituency concerned as per theRepresentation of the People Act, 1951. Returning officer is the head of elections in a particular constituency. Generally, in the case of Lok Sabha elections, it is theCollector/District Magistrate and in the case of state assembly elections, it is theSub-Divisional Magistrate who is ex-officio returning officer. Returning officer is the statutory authority to conduct the polling, counting process and to decide validity of ballot paper and election commission has no power to overrule him or her.^[7]

TheElection Commission of India nominates or designates an officer of the government or a local authority as the returning officer for each of the assembly and parliamentary constituencies in consultation with the state government/union territory administration. In addition, the Election Commission of India also appoints one or more assistant returning officers for each of the assembly and parliamentary constituencies to assist the returning officer in the performance of his functions in connection with the conduct of elections.^[8]

In theRepublic of Ireland, the post of returning officer inDublin andCork is held by the city sheriff, and in the other areas by thecounty registrar of the area (a senior court official). For local elections, the position is held by the administrative head of the local council. The returning officer for presidential elections and referendums is a senior official in the franchise section of the Department of the Environment.

In New Zealand, the returning officer is in charge of overseeing the voting process in eachelectorate.^[9]

InKorea, the returning officer is hired byNational Election Commission and Provincial Electoral Commissions. The returning officers supervise the electoral process in specific constituencies with the civil officers from Provincial Governments who works at eup/myeon/dong community service centres and Municipal Governmental Civil Officers.

As Civil officers at community service centres collect the Register of Electors, distribute the posts and phamplets of candidates, Civil Officers from National Election Commission and Provincial Electoral Commissions supervise thePolling stations.

The Returning Officer (RO) is in charge of overseeing the conduct of parliamentary (by-elections and general elections) and presidential elections, which is determined by thePrime Minister of Singapore under section 3 of the Parliamentary Elections Act. The RO is also responsible for assigning Assistant Returning Officers (ARO) to assist and delegate all duties related to an electoral event, to receive the required documentation to stand for candidacy, to issue the declaration of nominations during nomination day and adjourning any notice of contested polls, the final result and declaration of the names of elected candidates during polling day or walkovers during nomination day, the names of best-performing losing candidates asnon-constituency Members of Parliament (NCMPs) post-elections in the government gazette,^[10] any results forsample counts and whether ifelection recount is necessary, and whether if the votes cast locally are conclusive or requires overseas votes if the margin is lower than overseas votes.^[11][12]

Prior to the2015 general election, the RO would announce the rejected votes first followed by the total turnout for the constituency. The RO then mention the lines directing to the elections act (of either "Section 49, Subsection 7E, Paragraph A of the Parliamentary Elections Act" (parliamentary election) or "Section 32, Subsection 8D, Paragraph A of the Presidential Elections Act" (presidential elections)) afterwards. Since the 2015 elections, the RO would announce the total valid votes cast first before rejected votes and the lines mentioning about the elections act was omitted, which was probably done due to time constraints as results are announced in series and the introduction of sample counts.^[13][11]

InSri Lanka, returning officers are appointed by theCommissioner of Elections under the Registration of Electors Act, No. 44 of 1980 for all presidential, general (parliamentary), provincial and local government elections held in the island. Normally public officers are appointed as returning officers and they may appoint assistant returning officers to assist them.^[17]

In theParliament of Sri Lanka, the Secretary-General acts as the returning officer for votes conducted within the Parliament.

InEngland and Wales the post of returning officer forgeneral elections is an honorary one, held by thehigh sheriff of thecounty for acounty constituency or the mayor or chairman of the local council for aborough constituency. If a constituency overlaps district and county borders, the returning officer is designated by theSecretary of State for Justice.

In practice, the task of conducting the election is delegated to anacting returning officer, who is usually a senior officer in the local authority (the only duties which can be reserved and undertaken by the returning officer are related to the receipt of thewrit and the declaration of the result,^[18] and only if written notice is given by the returning officer to the acting returning officer^[19]). In an English or Welsh constituency where the returning officer is the chairman of the local district council or the mayor if a borough council, theelectoral registration officer is automatically the acting returning officer. In an English or Welsh constituency where thehigh sheriff or mayor is returning officer, the acting returning officer is designated by theSecretary of State for Justice.

InScotland, there is no office of acting returning officer and the position of returning officer is not an honorary one. The returning officer for general elections is the same person who has been appointed returning officer for the election of councillors in the local authority in which the constituency is situated. If a constituency covers more than one local authority area, theSecretary of State for Justice designates which local authority returning officer will discharge the function.

InNorthern Ireland, theChief Electoral Officer acts as the returning officer.^[20]

Returning officers normally announce the results after the count in the following manner:

I,name, the (acting) returning officer for thename of seat, hereby give notice that the total number of votes given for each candidate at the election ofdate was as follows,list of candidates and the number of votes received. And thatname of winning candidate(s) has been duly elected toname of democratic body forname of seat (orname of office).

The returning officer for a constituency additionally acts as the petitions officer for recall petitions.

InEngland andWales, every district council or unitary authority is required to appoint an officer of the council to be the returning officer for the election of councillors to their local authority, and any parish councils in their area. County councils must also appoint a returning officer for the election of councillors within the county.^[21]

• Election official
• Chief Electoral Officer (Canada)
• Chief Electoral Officer of Quebec
• Secretary of state (U.S. state government)

• Election people
• Voting

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