CANDIDATES FOR ELECTION

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27495, 1 November 1954, Page 10

CANDIDATES FOR ELECTION

Strict Rules Of Conduct HEAVY PENALTIES FOR BREACHES Voters have duties at a General Election, but they are by no means as great as those of candidates for Parliament, Who are controlled by very strict rules of conduct laid down by the Electoral Act Penalties for offences are heavy, and by infringing the act a candidate may be debarred from serving as a member, even though he might win the election. Enrolment for Parliamentary elections is compulsory, but voting is not compulsory. In Australia voting is compulsory. All British subjects of 21 years of age and resident in New Zealand for one year and not .less than three months immediately preceding the date of application are.qualified to vote. Maoris are qualified to vote .only at elections of Maori members. A halfcaste Maori may become an ordinary registered elector, > •Every person qualified to vote is qualified also to offer himself (or herself) as a candidate, except a person disqualified as an elector, an undischarged bankrupt or a contractor to the. Government. A candidate may stand for as many seats as he or she wishes, but no elector may nominate more thaii one candidate, and a deposit of £lO must be provided with each nomination, to be forfeited if a candidate receives less' than a quarter, of the total votes cast for the successful candidate.

Having been nominated, a candidate is bound by many restrictions. He cannot give an elector anything, nor lend him anything. He cannot agree to give or lend nor offer or promise to give or lend any . money or valuable consideration to any elector to induce him to vote or refrain from voting.

He cannot offer or promise to offer or procure or endeavour to procure any office or employment for an elector, or get anyone else to do so with the purpose of affecting the recipient's vote.

No money must be paid as bribery at any election.

Any elector commits an offence, also, if he is the recipient of any promise, bribe or gift on condition that his vote is recorded in a particular way. People paid for working for a candidate are not permitted to vote. Celebrating Victory Under the act no successful candidate can really celebrate on polling day unless he does it in lonely state. He must not give or provide or cause to be given or provided, or be an ac-

cessory to the giving, or pay wholly or in part any expenses incurred for any "meat, drink, entertainment or provision to or for any person” for the purpose of procuring himself to be elected, or on account of having been elected, or on account of a person's voting any particular way. Hotel licensees must be even more careful on polling day than usual that they do not ’“shout” or sell liquor to anyone else tor "shouting” to influence voting. Candidates are prohibited from having committee rooms on licensed premises. * Torch-bearers Barred No person shall, for the purpose of promoting or procuring the election of a candidate, be engaged or employed for payment or promise of payment as - a committee man, canvasser, watcher, guard, detective or torchbearer, or to act or render service in any capacity other than a capacity specifically stipulated. On the expenditure side it is illegal for a candidate to pay or promise to pay for the conveyance of electors tq or from the poll, whether for the hiring of special trains, steamboats or carriages, or for railway fares or otherwise, or to pay for bands, torches, flags, banners, cockades, ribbons or other marks of distinction, or for exhibiting bills, addresses or notices. The only authorised expenditure is for personal expenses of the candidate, printing expenses, stationery, postage, and telegram expenses, the cost of holding public meetings, the cost of running committee rooms and for miscellaneous expenses up to £25. Every person commits an illegal practice who wagers or bets on the result of the election. Persons convicted in the Supreme Court of corrupt practice may be fined up to £4OO, and for illegal practices up to £l.OO. In addition, the offender, candidate or not, is prohibited tor up to three years from voting at an election or holding any public or judicial office.

Public servants who are candidates must be granted special leave for at least tour weeks before and seven days after the election, and if he wins the seat he is deemed to have vacated his public office

Voting Procedure There are various ways of voting. An elector may go direct to a polling booth in his electorate and record his vote on the ballot paper provided; vote by a postal ballot paper if away from the district on polling day; vote by declaration on sufficient cause. Postal voting makes provision for inability to be within two miles “by the nearest practicable route” of any polling place during polling hours; inability through travelling to attend any polling place; infirm or ill voters; a lighthouse keeper: those who object to attending a polling place on religious grounds. Blind voters may ask deputy-return-ing officers to mark ballot papers as they direct. At the close of a poll the deputy returning officer is required to count the votes for each candidate and announce the result, with the number of informal votes, to the returning officer without delay. The returning officer announces the complete result from all the booths. Later, he,examines the rolls from booths under his jurisdiction to check on double voting, and this Is in the presence of scrutineers appointed by the candidates or on their behalf. •It there is a tie, the returning officer has a casting vote. It is general, though not obligatory, for him to give that vote to the sitting member. "Sitting member” though frequently used is an incorrect term tor, with the dissolution of Parliament there are no members until a new Parliament is summoned and the successful candidates take the oath and are sworn

in. An unsuccessful candidate, on giving due grounds, can demand a recount or a Magisterial recount. He can petition against the result but must state specific grounds. The trial of a petition must take place within the district in which it has arisen and be heard by two Supreme Court judges, who are constituted the Electoral Court.

An election may be upset on evidence of corrupt practices, which include bribery, treating and undue influence, which is defined as injuring or threatening to injure a person wanting to vote, or by any means preventing a person from voting.