ELECTORAL REFORM.

Evening Star, Issue 9119, 27 April 1893, Page 1

ELECTORAL REFORM.

The General Efectiou, which is, now" impending in Queensland, will be oornffiptad under- the Elections Act, 1#92, which -establishes ■ the principle that: the candidate returned for any constituency must have polled an abaolutemajorityof the votes recorded. The system adopted is that known as the “contingent vote,’’ and this will be the first time, believe, in the British dominions tbas> the theory will be put tb -h practical' test. The instructions issued to returning officers by the Colonial Secretary have been published,- and from thesea very good idea may bo formed as to bow the Act will ‘ operate. A candidate can only be declared* rSv< turned on the first count of receives a number of votes greatethap one-half the number of all who vote at the election, exclusive of> electors whoa*' ballot jkpsts J, Ore rejected for informality. Avoteisreoordodby staking out the names of those candidates the elector does not wish to vote for; but, as this may not rive, to the highest on the poll an absolute, majority, each voter is allowed to place a; figure opposite to the names he has erased in order to intimate the choice of his selection should the first choice fail to* secure the required majority. The voter, may, if he chooses, omit to put any figures , on his ballot paper, or he may mark one or more figures at his option; but if he puts any figures at all be musi commence with the figure 2. If no candidate is found to have an absolute majority, it becomes the duty of the returning officer to personally obtain all the ballot papers t “ ana proceed at a convenient place and “ time to count the contingent votes.’* It is suggested that the wisest course will be to sort the ballot papers according to primary \ v ote, and then to, put aside altogether those papers in which the priffiary votes have been given for either of the two highest candidates. The contingent votes, which are then counted, will be only those appearing on the ballot papers of what, may he termed the defeated candidates, the competing candidates being clearly only those two who are highest on the poll in respect to primary vote. One example is given by way of illustration : BALLOT PAPER. •-A— 51 Competing candidates; neither has an —B— 4 /absolute majority. 1 -■« —D— 2 --E— 3 This is a primary vote* for C ; but, as C, D, and E are defeated qandidate, it becomes a contingent vote for B. On a second count the vote would be added to B’s primary vote. The second count, it may be noted, is to he decisive, even if neither candidate secures an absolute majority of the votes recorded, which, however, is seldom likely to occur. It may happen that the primary votes, in the case of two or more candidate, if only two, and these stand highest in the first count, they become, of course, the competing candidate for the second count; but if two or three tie for the second place, the returning officer is to decide by his casting vote which shall, he the competing candidate, and the others are consequently out.of it. Whore an electorate returns more than one member the procedure is on the same lines, with necessary modifications. Take Dunedin, for instance. The returning officer would at once declare elected any candidate or candidates in ‘whose tavor an absolute majority of the electors who came to the poll have voted. Say that one candidate has secured this majority, there would remain two to be elected, and these, with thetwo next highest in the first count, would be the competing candidate for the second count—other candidates, if there weife* any, being considered defeated. If it should occur that none of the candidate had the required majority, then the six highest on the first count would be the competing candidates in the second. The Queensland Act does not appear to provide for the presence of scrutineers at the second count, leaving the matter entirely, in the hands of the retuming.officer. Provision for this is probably, however, within the scojie of the regulations for carrying out the Act, which the Governor is authorised to make by Order-in-Council. The Queensland.scheme commends itself as being practical and inexpensive, although it does not so effectually provide for a more complete representation, than at present, as the proposals which have been made from time to time for a second ballot where a clear majority ,i% not obtained. Such a system would involve a great deal of trouble, and considerably augment the expenses of an election.