Man Votes Twice In Westland: Faces Supreme Court Sentence

Grey River Argus, 21 March 1947, Page 4

Man Votes Twice In Westland: Faces Supreme Court Sentence

P.A. DECEMBER, March 20. An unusual case was heard in the City Police Court to-day, when Thomas McNeil, a motor driver, aged 35, pleaded guilty to having voted twice at, the last General Election, in the capacity of an absentee voter. Accused was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence.

Harold John Worthington, the returning officer for the Mornington electorate, said in evidence, that during the official Count of votes which were cast in his electorate, he had forwarded all applications by persons who had claimed absent votes, to the Registrar of Electors at Dunedin, so that he could identify persons who had made applications as being registered electors. In the papers returned by the Registrar, witness had found two applications in the name of Thomas McNeil, labourer, of 11 Glen Road, in the Mornington electorate. The first application had been made at Hokitika, in the Westland electoral district, and the second from a'booth at Reefton, in the Buller electoral district. Acting-Detective R. W. Griffiths, said lie had interviewed the accused, who had made a statement that he had been working as* a labourer at Ross, and had stayed there until election day. About 9 a.m. he went into a booth and had asked for an absentee voting paper, which he had signed. He could not recall having cast a vote, although he said that if the clerk said he did, he must have done, as he was under the influence of liquor at the time. The accused added that he went to Reefton 1'

railcar, and car, and accompanied some men into a polling booth there, about 7 p.m. He admitted having cast a vote there.