returning officer

American  

noun

British.

1. a public official appointed to conduct and preside at an election.

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returning officer British  

noun

1. (in Britain, Canada, Australia, etc) an official in charge of conducting an election in a constituency or electoral district, who supervises the counting of votes and announces the results

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Etymology

Origin of returning officer

First recorded in 1720–30

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

returning officer

That individual will be the Clacton MP once the result is declared by the returning officer.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

Tendring District Council chief executive Ian Davidson - who is the acting returning officer for the by-election in the Essex constituency - said organising the vote had been "manic".

From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2026

However, the by-election's acting returning officer said polling station staff were trained to look for undue influence on voters and "no such issues" had been reported during polling hours.

From BBC ● Feb. 27, 2026

Richardson said Hardings had "publicly admitted full responsibility for the production error", and both the Crown Prosecution Service and the acting returning officer had been made aware of the issue.

From BBC ● Feb. 25, 2026

Where the votes for rival candidates are equal, the returning officer, if registered in the constituency, may give the casting-vote.

From The New Gresham Encyclopedia Volume 4, Part 2: Ebert to Estremadura by Various