LOCAL BODY ELECTIONS

Press, Volume XCIV, Issue 28128, 17 November 1956, Page 10

LOCAL BODY ELECTIONS

POLLING FROM 9 A.M. TO 7 P.M. TODAY

MAYORALTY RESULT BY 8.30 P.M.

Polling in today’s local body elections will take place between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m., and there should be no doubt in voters’ minds as to where booths are located. By early yesterday signs were visible every few blocks, and polling places have also been advertised. The result of the election for the mayoralty of Christchurch should be announced before 8.30 p.m., but the City Council returns (with 42 names on the ballot paper) are unlikely to be available before 11 p.m. Then will follow the Hospital Board, Harbour Board, and Catchment Board results. Borough council and many county council results in smaller areas will be known in periods ranging from half an hour to two hours after the closing of polls. The official count of votes will begin on Monday, after scrutiny of the rolls. The latter process usually takes about a day in city elections, the name of every voter (whose name is marked off at local booths) being checked against a master roll to guard against possible plural voting or other irregularities. The law provides that the retiring Mayor shall continue in office until the new result is officially declared. Counting of City Council votes may take about. 10 days, and it is usual for a special meeting to be convened for the Mayor to be installed and for councillors to sign their declarations. It is also customary for the Mayor to choose this occasion to announce his nominations for deputy-mayor and for membership of standing committees. This meeting may be held in the last week of November. Where results for other looal bodies are known earlier, it is possible foi new councils to take office before this.

All organisations concerned in today’s elections in Christchurch are making special efforts to get people to vote, but neither of the main groups has any indication whether the poll will be light or heavy. They feel that the troubled world situation has detracted from interest in this election, and that this may affect voting.

Hotels are not closed for local body elections, although they are shut for Parliamentary elections.