Graham Shields

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Graham Shields OBE was the Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland from 11 October 2010 to 31 January 2017, having previously been Assistant Chief Electoral Officer. [1] He had previously served as a police officer, reaching the senior rank of Chief Superintendent. [2]

Order of the British Empire British order of chivalry

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established on 4 June 1917 by King George V and comprises five classes across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two of which make the recipient either a knight if male or dame if female. There is also the related British Empire Medal, whose recipients are affiliated with, but not members of, the order.


The Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland is the returning officer and electoral registration officer for all elections in Northern Ireland and is in charge of the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland. He/she also has to make a recommendation to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland by 16 April each year regarding whether a registration canvass should be conducted, and acts as an assessor to the Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland and the Local Government Boundaries Commissioner.

Northern Ireland Part of the United Kingdom lying in the north-east of the island of Ireland, created 1921

Northern Ireland is variously described as a country, province or region which is part of the United Kingdom. Located in the north-east of the island of Ireland, Northern Ireland shares a border to the south and west with the Republic of Ireland. In 2011, its population was 1,810,863, constituting about 30% of the island's total population and about 3% of the UK's population. Established by the Northern Ireland Act 1998 as part of the Good Friday Agreement, the Northern Ireland Assembly holds responsibility for a range of devolved policy matters, while other areas are reserved for the British government. Northern Ireland co-operates with the Republic of Ireland in several areas, and the Agreement granted the Republic the ability to "put forward views and proposals" with "determined efforts to resolve disagreements between the two governments".

Shields was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2017 Birthday Honours for services to electoral democracy. [3]

The 2017 Queen's Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as part of the Queen's Official Birthday celebrations during the month of June. The Queen's Birthday Honours for the United Kingdom were announced on 16 June; the honours for New Zealand were announced on 5 June and for Australia on 12 June.

He is a member of Northern Ireland's Human Rights Commission. [2]

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References

  1. "Graham Shields is new NI chief electoral officer". BBC News. 16 July 2010. Retrieved 10 February 2011.
  2. 1 2 "Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission - Graham Shields". NIHRC. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
  3. "No. 61962". The London Gazette (Supplement). 17 June 2017. p. B14.