ELECTORAL LAW

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 149, 27 June 1925, Page 8

ELECTORAL LAW

a REGISTRATION PROVISIONS

HOW NEW LAW.OPERATES.

.Mr. G. G. Hodgkins, Deputy Chief Electoral Officer, Electoral Department, who has been on Departmental business mOtngo and Canterbury gave some interesting particulars relative to the working of last session's amendment of the electoral law to a 'Tress. 'reporter. llegarding the responses made to tho requirements of th<3 new Act in. respect of .tho compulsory registration by persons qualified to, haifo. tlieir' names placed on tho roll, Mr. -Hodgkins said it had been highly gratifying. The returns that the Electoral' Department. were receiving from the electoral districts showed .that tho electors had realised their obligation to lake Hie necessary action to ensure registration; In respect of the provision of the. Act requiring registered eloctors, to notify change o£ address, that provision was being .fully cbmplied with by persons whose names .are already on thevroll. .It was also: found that, there Was very ': general:., fcomplianco". with the provision that a porsou must' liavo resided three'months (instead of one month as was'tho case previously) in the electoral district. 1 before' applying I for registration. { Thero was always a' certain floating population, especially in the cities; and*'in*, tho .case of thoso comprising it tho threo months' residence was completed before application was.mado for registration. This now/ stipulation regarding three mouths' residence was the reasonwhy Somo rolls,- at tho present .stage, had 'not so largo .1 total number oLnanios on them as was the case in the 1922 General Election;:, another reason, was that"'the compilation, of the rolls for' tho General Election this year ...was- three' or: four months ahead*;of the same, process .in.1922.- *-„- ;'■.; ... ;!■>:■■ . :.\- '..

There,had been, no real necessity Mr.. Hodgkins said, in; reply to a question, to' institute prosecutions for failure: to: register, and it ;%vas unlikely that prosecutions' would be initiated, by the' Department, which .would, however, take action if aiid'.wlien cases of. wilful.'defiaiice of the ..law were brought, under,., it's' notice. The onus was directly upon-persons possessing the necessary ..qualifications' to -register, and , if..^tliey failed. .to .do; :so' they had. only themselves to :;they, found on .presenting; themselves, at pollingbooths thatthey.h'adno' vote! \"';:V

IMPORTANT AMENDMENTS.

; Mr. Hodgkins "referred, to/twoimpbrtr ant.amendments of- the electoral:; law— the new,provisions in; respect of., the class of 'persons .able: to ; vote by: declaratipi-^ -and ■; the alteration lof the: : system /of; absent voting;- Prior, to the passing ,of last' years-Act ■ three classes of .'person could vote by ..declaration— (1) Persons whose names .'were on . the: roll, .and, .through' error, had been .deleted from the rolls, supplied to; returning officers^ and their (2) persons who had: lodged, applications for..en-' rolment beforeV.the^writ.was issued and whose names,. by inadvertence, had been omitted from .the ■ roll; -. and (3) -. persons who voted :at the. previous election' but" whose- names '.did not 'apear . on: tlie;: roll." Under;last:year's legislation the parsons in :the third-class could,not .now.'vote •'by declaration, .arid, this'alteration, Mr. Ho'dgkiiis* commented, ' emphasised the fact that unless persons registered .under the new law they would.not be:able .to' vote by-: declaration at'", the: approaching .General Election, ..■ri6twitlista'nding;'-..the facts that .they,:, still ; reside' in the same electoral district, and . that they -voted' at,the., 1922.,.e1ecti0n." •'!::. '; / ! ■"■;,Tha.'new; system, under: which absent .voters' can .record .their" votes abolishes ■the necessity for the. absent voter- ~ ob..taining a .-.permit,./ .a":-.'much; " simpler method haviiig ; been .'devised. 'If a person is registered on.the roll of the 1 electoral: district 'in which he resides and is absent .from. the district on the;dav pf. the,election, all.-.-that he will Require 5 to d0, : .,s : tq go_ to ;any - polling place and 1 make an application, on a form which will be provided,-to record his" vote in the district: in which he.: is registered, and is still a qualified elector. ■ A'vofcliig paper with the'names of-the can-" didates written on it will be: issued to !lun' on which he.' will record his , vote m-tfeprdmarvway. The. votingpatjer.wiU then be placed in an envelope:.and forwarded to the returning officer of the: voters' district.:' The.(voter's application will be forwarded at the same, time to the-Registrar of Electors of-the voter's dwtnet, who will advise the returning othcer whether or not the voter is qualified, and entitled to vote. ■.- ' at-pWs^lhere £ h e£ Osifcin S °I the. r oUs by.^he. public, Mr. 6Hopkins sSd'th^tregistrars were at present preparing lists of such places: under-, the Act these-' required, to, be approved by. the 'Minister in charge of the: Department (the Hon the Prime Minister), and this.was being done at present and the lists would bf published shortly. \ .-. .-.■ '„ ;