MISREPRESENTATION

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 172, 23 July 1941, Page 6

MISREPRESENTATION

The voting results in the WA. mata by-election again reveal & defects of our out-of-date electe system. It surely is equitabfefe the elected member of ParliaC should represent an absolute nafc ity of the electors who went to ft polls. Here again under the fe past the post system, with morefc two candidates standing, the c&qe is represented by a minority mar. !ber. When this is repeated ins» ; electorates throughout the comflrr lit gives deplorable results. Enfe the system as at present riggednft the consent of the two feafc parties the group polling 40 to l per cent of the voters can secareli per cent of the seats. The tsr least that should be done istotei preferential voting, but this is be completely effective and only prop tional representation can secure tk substantial sections of public opmk will be represented in Parliament a nearly mathematical ratio to to voting strength. The fact thai a improvements have been nwrfr j our electoral system for half a estury is one reason why politicks have come into such, disrepute. When the average elector is about elapathetic as the average member if I Parliament is ignorant, and the late I is largely a voting dummy nnfer the party whip, we cannot"be arprised. We shall never get thebsf type of citizen to come out unfflifi *. get P.R., which has proved a sn> I cess in most of the countries *te I it is in operation. G. M. FOWLDS. I