Dual vote check continues

Press, 2 December 1978, Page 4

Dual vote check continues

No decision will be made until next week on what action the National Party will take oxer apparent dual votes on the Lvttelton rolls. ■

The chairman of the party’s' [ vttelton electorate branch (Mr R. A. Gormackl said that ihq party hoped to finish its double-checking of the scrutineers' sheets "as soon as possible." Once this was done, t ie party would try to get in touch with as many voters bs possible . whose names were on the sheets for more than one vote. Double-checking had revealed nothing yesterday that was at variance with the party’s earlier allegations that "several hundred cases" i>f apparent dual voting had recurred m the General Election The Labour Party has said it would be happy to co-operate with "anyone, including the National Party " to investigate the party's claims. The member of Parliament-

elect for Lyttelton (Mrs Ann Hercus) said that the Labour Party had spent many hours collecting more than 100 names of persons known to the party to be dead or no-' longer living in the electorate, but who were on the 1978 roll. “These names were sent to the electorate officer so they could be removed, at his discretion, from the roll. We did this to help ensure a clean roll.’’ said Mrs Hercus Mr Gormack said that this work was evident on the supplementary roll where about KMX) names had been crossed off because of duplications. "But there are many more than just 100." he said. He said the partv wanted to make sure everything was “cut and dry" and all evidence collected before it took any action. All such evidence

was already being referred; to a lawyer. The returning officer (Mr J. A. Cross) said his team had not quite finished checking about 18 apparent cases of dual voting, which they' had found on the rolls. He! said that those people who had died or moved from the i electorate were marked on ihe master roll, to which he alone had access at the moment. “1 think a lot of their scrutineers must have made a lot of mistakes.” said Mr Cross. l Most of the cases he had found appeared to be genuine: mistakes." The checking process will also have to be applied to special votes, which should' be ready for counting early! next week. Mr Cross said the; final count would not be delaved because of this.