Cheating The Ballot.

Manawatu Standard, Volume 4, Issue 119, 26 April 1883, Page 2

Cheating The Ballot.

HO W T H.£Y DO IT AT , HAWKK'S BAY. , The flawke'a Bay Herald has tne following :— " Daring the recent po- ; litical contest, -when the scrutineers and the returning officer of the constituencies were making up the results of the poll, they were greatly mystified by discovering iv the ballot-box a number of Wank sheets resembling ballot papers m every respect, but not printed otf ; written upon- ; and the mystery became still thicker when several case? occurred of two ballot pipers being folded together. But a solution of the enigma has been discovered, and it exposes a very smart electioneering dodge. The a^ent for a candidate having settled with a number of the « free . and enlightened' as to the monetary value they place upon their right fo'the franchise, he adopts the following method of securing the votes: When No. 1 elector presents himself at the committee room he receives a piece of paper folded to represent a ballot paper; this the tru«y ; voter drops into the ballot box, retaining the numbered and initialed form which he receives from the returning officer, and which ha delivers safely to the agent, who . then, i and not till then, ' disburses.' . Whea No. 2 voter appears, .he receives No; l's paper, which ha 3 been satisfactorily marked, places it m the ballot box, and! preseats his own to the agent ; ' arid so the game goes on, antU the time of : closing draws near, when some oae. iv the secret, who has for the purpose refrained from voting previously, deposits m the ballot " box his owd and the last purchased ballot papers folded' together." ; ••