STRANGE APATHY.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LV, Issue 209, 2 August 1935, Page 12

STRANGE APATHY.

AVILL NOT VOTE. a larglTtotal. AA'hen the remarkable facilities that are provided for voting at Parliamentary elections in New Zealand are taken into consideration it is difficult to understand why nearly 40 per cent, of the electors on the Lyttelton roll failed to exercise the franchise in the by-election, remarks the Christchurch Star. Actually there is no reason why an elector who is in the Dominion at tho time of the poll or has made his departure after tire time of the closing of nominations should not vote unless he has religious or conscientious scruples against voting. A'oting at elections is not compulsory in New Zealand, but it is compulsory for every person eligible to become an elector to secure enrolment, and if he fails to do so he is liable to prosecution by the registrar of electors for the district. Once ho is enrolled the elector can decide for himself whether or not he will exercise his vote. ELASTIC POLLING HOURS. Polling places are provided at all the centres of population in an electorate, and the hours of polling, which are from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., are sufficiently elastic to meet the convenience of almost everyone. But the facilities provided by the Stato do not end there. If a.u elector is absent from his electorate on polling day. all lie is required to do to record his vote is to call at any post office in the Dominion and vote as an absentee. This provision is availed of very largely at all elections and on AVednesday of last week 183 absentee votes were recorded. The State, however, also makes provision for those electors it'llo cannot go to a polling place or a post office on account of sickness or for a variety of other reasons.

This is known as postal voting and the votes can be exercised ut any time between the receipt of nominations and polling day, but they must he in the hands of the returning officer before the poll closes. LIGHTHOUSE KEEPERS.

Lighthouse keepers and their families or assistants would not in the ordinary way be able to vote either at <* polling place or at a post office, but provision has been made for them under the postal voting system. Similarly, a person who on polling day will be travelling under conditions that would preclude him. from attending at a polling place can record a postal vote. The majority of the postal votes, however, are exercised by electors who, by reason of illness or infirmity, cannot attend at a polling place, and even if such a person cannot write, his vote will he accepted if his mark is properly attested. Electors who leave the Dominion after the closing of nominations and before the day of the poll need not be denied the right of voting if they take the precaution of applying for a postal voting certificate. PROVISION FOR SEAMEN.

Seamen have special provision made for them. If they are liable to he at sea or away from the electorate on polling day they can obtain what is known as a seaman’s right and vote before a Collector of Customs at any port in the Dominion up to the tunc of the closing of the fin n. There is also provision made for voting by declaration. If a person finds that his name is not on the roll and he is of opinion that it should he there, he can vole after making a declaration to the deputy returning officer to that effect. As u general rule, however, a comparative!- small proportion of declaration votes are allowed. but sometimes one or two votes wiil decide the result of an election and (his provision has justified itself. Every consideration is shown to the elector' who wishes to record his vote at an election, arid it is astonishing that when such wide facilities are provided there should be as many as 3970 electors of Lyttelton out of a total of 13.002 who were so apathetic that they did not vote at the recent by-election.