AN EVEN CHANCE

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 21, 25 July 1933, Page 10

AN EVEN CHANCE

PRINTING BALLOT PAPERS

LEGION'S PROPOSAL

It lias oft;en been argued that candidates for Parliamentary or civic honours whose names commence with' letters at the beginning of the alphabet have an advantage over those whose names appear lower down the list. The New Zealand Legion's proposed method of overcoming this disadvantage was explained by Dr. R. Campbell Begg, when addressing a meeting at Eastbourn© last evening. "Proportional representation," he said, "to be effective, would, we consider, not be able to function effectively ' unless the disadvantages of the alphabetical bias were removed. This applies to any election, and I may now announce one of the definite resolutions passed by the national council as desirable in any case where there are more than two or three names in any ballot paper. It is not a new system, having been used successfully in America, and I believe in one or two instances in this country. Suppose there are six names on the ballot paper—Allan, Jones, Leonard, Olsen, Rogers, and Wilson. The ballot papers would be printed in batches of six, each differing in such a way that each name would appear at the top in one of the six, thus: — Ist paper. 2nd paper. 3rd paper. Allan Jones Leonard Jones Leonard Olsen Leonard Olsen Rogers, Olsen Rogers Wilsonx Rogers Wilson Allan Wilson ' Allan Jones | and so on with the other three papers. "The poll clerks would give out these ballot papers, exhausting one packet before another was opened. The alphabetical bias is a real proved disadvantage to all candidates whose names begin with the later letters of the alphabet, land this is distinctly so with proportional representation. I understand that there are special printing machines jby which these papers can be printed. lAt any rate, if necessary, they could be printed separately. Should , the system of proportional representation for all purposes be. finally decided upon by the Legion, it would be bracketed definitoly with this additional safeguard."