Some ratepayers to lose vote

Press, 16 September 1986, Page 3

Some ratepayers to lose vote

Between 3000 and 6000 absentee ratepayers will not be able to vote in Christchurch City because of legislation which removes voting rights from non-residential ratepayers, says the Mayor of Christchurch, Sir Hamish Hay. Comments by the Labour mayoral candidate, Mr Alex Clark, about the number of voters excluded by the legislation showed a lack of real depth of knowlege of council affairs, Sir Hamish said. Mr Clark had said that fewer than 500 people would be affected by the change and few would be surprised, since all registered voters had received cards verifying which roll

they were on some time ago. Mr Clark was speaking' in response to an earlier statement by Sir Hamish.

Sir Hamish said he had been referring not only to 447 nominee occupiers who had previously been nominated by companies but to the 3000 to 6000 absentee voters.

The figure came from the returning officer, as it was impossible to get a precise figure from computer records, Sir Hamish said.

“The undeniable fact is that private propertyowners now no longer have a vote in local body elections as of right but only in terms of their place of normal residence,” Sir Hamish said.