Thousands not on rolls breaking law

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34046, 9 January 1976, Page 7

Thousands not on rolls breaking law

(New Zealand Press Association

WELLINGTON. Thousands of New Zealanders who are not on the Parliamentary electoral rolls are breaking the law.

It is an offence for people of voting age not io get on the electoral roll for voting at General Elections. Yet there has been no prosecution since 1925.

If people have known they have been committing • offences, they have presumably been assured that the long arm of the law has not been able to stretch their wav.

Unlike Australia, where voting is compulsory. New Zealanders are compelled by law only to register for voting.

According to the office of the Registrar of Electors today, in recent elections one in: three special votes has involved persons not registered. With about 150.000 “specials” in 1972, that means 50.000 offences were committed then. And with a maximum penalty now of $2O for the first offence, slm, less some administrative costs, is up for grabs. The Chief Electoral Officer (Mr J. L. Wright) said that the final number of special votes throughout the country for the last election was still being collated.

i It was therefore too early I jto say how manv were unregistered voters, but he said ithe one-in-three principle had! Applied in the last few elec-i tions. , “There are, of course, a 'significant number of people[Who don’t bother to register; [because they regard it as a: [superfluous exercise. “But under new legislation; passed last year, people will; have to register at the next’ census, in March. As well asproviding the usual statistical; information, everyone will be required to fill out a card for| electoral purposes,’’ said Mr| Wright. If the new system workedias it should, every eligible!

(voter would then be on the ’role for the next election Failure to register had ijbeen an offence since 1925. ■Mr Wright confirmed that i there had never been a prosecution, although there had ■ been some prosecutions suggested. J Mr Wright added: ‘‘l have ‘not considered prosecuting, Jnor have 1 had any instrucijtions to change the past I habit. Compulsory re--registration at the time of lithe census should take care >iof the matter.” ' It should, he said, be more ! effective than the practice of ‘officers sending cards to ■ipeople they knew.