Local body elections

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32707, 9 September 1971, Page 12

Local body elections

Twenty-year-olds, who are eligible to vote in local body elections for the first time, have swollen the number of new voters for the elections on October 9 Enrolment is compulsory (although the law is seldom enforced). Voting is not compulsory: but all citizens should realise that they have an obligation to cast their votes for members of the territorial and ad hoc local bodies which provide many of the most important services and amenities in the community. Few citizens can have an excuse for not registering. Electoral rolls are on display at 14 street stalls in the city until September 17, the last day for enrolment: and little time and effort are involved in a citizen’s checking to see that his or her name is on the roll, and applying for enrolment if it is not. Political groups and organisations such as the Canterbury University Students’ Association are making strenuous efforts to ensure that all eligible voters are enrolled. The Christchurch City Council is doing its best to encourage voting by making it possible to vote at special booths throughout the city for three days before the official polling day. Three years ago some 12,000 votes were cast before polling day. Even so, fewer than half the electorate voted. The men and women elected to local bodies are there to represent the public. They cannot be expected to look after the electors’ interests if the electors themselves seem indifferent to their interests.