Multiple vote still possible

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33588, 17 July 1974, Page 12

Multiple vote still possible

Although the amended Local Elections and Polls Act abolished plural voting in counties, some ratepayers at the county elections on October 12 will be more electoral than most.

Before the act was changed—and over the protests, chiefly, of farmers—county ratepayers had up to three votes, depending on the valuation of their properties, in a council election.

Under this system, if a man had property in more than one riding, he had up to three votes for the councillor for the riding, depending on his valuation qualification.

That has been abolished, but the same ratepayer can still exercise a single vote in each council riding election for which he is qualified. Farmers commonly have land in more than one riding.

Taken to its extreme, a Paparua County ratepayer, if he had the qualifications, could have up to 11 votes — one in each of the elections for councillors in the different ridings. A ratepayer under the same circumstances could have nine votes for council-

lors in Waimari County’s ridings. The amended act, however, permits one vote in the ad hoc board elections. Formerly, in counties, a ratepayer could exercise a maximum of three votes for his district Catchment Board representative.

The Christchurch City Council election this year will be decided on the basis of wards, but in the case of municipalities, multiple voting is not permitted. If a city ratepayer has qualifications in two or more wards he must elect which ward he will vote in.

The city ratepayer, like his county counterpart, can have more than one vote if he owns property in the city and in a county. In this case, he can vote for the mayoralty and city council, and in the county riding election in which he has the qualification.