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

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

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

A notice published by extraordinary returning officer Donovan Lock on Tuesday said 1,228 ballots were cast in favour of no confidence, while 501 were against.

From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2025

The returning officer will issue details of venues in the constituency where they can support the recall.

From BBC ● Feb. 27, 2024

In the event of there being more candidates than vacancies, the returning officer adjourns the election for the purpose of taking a poll.

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