ELECTION SIDE SHOWS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CVIII, Issue 12986, 29 November 1902, Page 9

ELECTION SIDE SHOWS.

TO THE EDITOU. Sir,—-I wish to draw the attention of the gentlemen who control our election booths to certain things a great nuisance to tho electors now, and unless stopped at once bid fair to become worse. I will just give the experience of my wife and myself when wo went to record our votes at a booth during this election. I arrived at tho bouse to find a couple of men with a table established close to the door. One of them kindly informed me I could not vote, as my name was not on the roll. I told him where to look, and he then found it. Ho gave me my number, and at the same time pushed a paper into my band, showing mo how to vote on local option, and told me to remember naming his pet candidate. I said - 1 would, and as soon as I could went in and struck out his name. Later in the day my wife came along, and the same gentleman gave her his paper, instructing how to vote on local option, and, turning up the roll, gave her not her proper number there, but another, which the gentlemen ingide soon corrected. Now, I felt insulted by being thus directed how to record my vote by one whom I do not. consider capable of doing so, and I feel now that I should have been quite justi* lied if I bad taken the table and chair off the footpath, and thrown the lot into the street. Why cannot we be allowed to go into the booth in peace to record our votes, without being pestered by a set of conceited and interested persons, trying to get us to vote their way, and by their officious attentions confusing the loss cool and clear-headed of the electors? I ask, in conclusion, that others, who I know have suffered, to take this matter up in such a way as will compel these officious gentlemen to run their humbugging sideshows at least a mile from any election booth.—l am, etc., J.B.