SCRUTINY OF ROLL

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 2, 28 September 1943, Page 6

SCRUTINY OF ROLL

Likely To Take Two To Three Days

START OF OFFICIAL COUNT The scrutiny of the electoral rolls to see if there have been any cases of plural voting at the election on Saturday began in most districts yesterday. This will take anything from two to three days, and till it is done the official count of the ballot papers cannot be undertaken. From four to five days are usually required for the count, so that it is likely, to be the end of this week or the beginning of next before the official returns are available from most of the electorates. Before an official count can start, the postal, seamen’s, absent and declaration votes must also be received by returning officers, and the names of those voters checked against the rolls from ■ their application forms to vote in accordance with the methods prescribed for voting by electors away from their home electorates on polling day. In some cases this could conceivably delay the start of the official count for more than three days, for it would probably take longer than this if, for example, an absentee’s ballot paper for Invercargill had to be sent from a place a long distance away, such as Rawene in the Bay of Islands. Members of Armed Forces.

Names of members of the forces in New Zealand have to be scrutinized, as well to guard against the possibility of dual vo.ting, and like the civilian votes they are also subject to official count. Checked figures for voting by ■ armed forces personnel overseas will also be cabled. The same will apply to the licensing figures. The votes of the armed forces both in New Zealand and overseas on the licensing issue were not included in the, preliminary returns announced yesterdriy, and these will be taken in at the official count of all votes on this issue. Till the official count the situation in several electorates where the preliminary figures show a small margin of votes between the two leading candidates must remain in doubt. An amended preliminary return as well as a supplementary return from overseas has been received for Oamaru as a result of which the National Party candidate, Mr. T. R. Beatty, has now only a lead of four 'votes over the Minister of Health, Mr. Nordmeyer, the Labour candidate. Mr. Beatty’s, aggregate vote now stands at 4601, and that of Mr. Nordmeyer nt 4597. The Labour candidate in IVairhrapa, Mr. B.’Roberts, who had a majority of 50 on the night of the poll over the National Party candidate. Mr. ,T. J. Maher, has improved his position following the receipt of one return which was not available on Saturday night. With 4391 rotes. Mr. Roberts now has a majority of 84 over his opponent. Though, there have been slight adjustments in some of the other electorates where the majorities are sufficiently small to make the issue doubtful, they have not made any material change in the placings of the candidates concerned. Isolated Votes. With New Zealand soldiers, sailors and airmen serving in all parts of .the world some time must inevitably elapse .before all the service votes can be oflicially counted. New Zealanders are serving in naval vessels on the seven seas, and. in some cases may be away ■fron} land for months at a time. Admittedly these isolated voters are relatively few, but it is conceivable that a long time can elapse in some instances before their votes can be officially counted. A suppositious case would be that of New Zealand personnel serving on naval convoy vessels running to North Russia. In such circumstances the candidates’ names.: would be cabled! to the ship, on' which there would be a polling officer, but these ballot-papers could not be officially counted till they could be returned to the special returning officer, in this case in England, and that might be months. The authorities appear to have visualized such a situation as this and the possibility of the official count of sueh votes having an effect on the poll, for in the Electoral (Members ot the Force?) Regulations, 1941, there is authority for amendment to a writ if that were necessary. Tlie regulation states that after counting the votes the special returning officer shall notify the Chief Electoral Officer by cable or other expeditions means'. The figures shall then be forwarded by the latter official to the appropriate returning officer, and if as a result of the count it is necessary to do so the . returning officer can make an amended declaration of the result of the poll. Tliis can be done notwithstanding that the writ may have been returned and that the time for its return may have expired. In. any such case the original declaration shall be deemed to be revoked and the endorsement of the writ shall if necessary be amended in accordance with the amended declaration.