ELECTION PREPARATIONS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXI, Issue 177, 28 June 1941, Page 8

ELECTION PREPARATIONS.

CLEANSING OF ROLLS. The procedure followed in cleansing the electoral rolls, now in progress, is similar to that adopted on former occasions. Forms of “Inquiry as to Residence” have been sent to electors, and the information obtained is being recorded on the rolls. The Registrar ot Electors lias pointed out that these forms fiave not been sent to all electors. In many cases individuals on the| roll may be known personally by a I member of the electoral stall to be still residing at the same address. Notices are not sent to these electors. (So far about 6550 notices have been sent out through the Post Office, which has had a very onerous duty in delivering them, especially in view of the changes in staff caused by Avar conditions and enlistments. It is not surprising, therefore, to find that a number of these 6550 notices have not found the electors. For example, although many house numbers may still be the same, many have been changed in recent years. If these effectors are still in the district, they have a further protection, because tinclaim'd notices such as those marked “Gone, no address” are followed |>y a form sent through the registered post This form is called “Registrar’s Objection to Retention of Name on Roll.” The purpose of sending these by registered post is to ensure that extra care is taken in finding the elector, and | it happens on occasions that whereas the ordinary notice of inquiry fails to j reach them, the registered objection notice usually succeeds and the elector is able to reply on this form that he is still in the district.

The Registrar of Electors has indicated that electors have sometimes changed their addresses Avithin the city without notifying the Electoral Office as they are required to do under the Act, and this has resulted in some persons receiving an objection. Others, again, have been Jiving at the same address for a number of years, and through their notices having been returned with the envelopes marked by the Post Office “Gone, no address,” the registrar lias been obliged to forward the usual objection notice as proTided by the Act for such cases. Atost of these electors have, however, received the objection forms which were registered, and, having replied that they arc still in the district, their names will be retained on the roll. It has been the custom in this district to prepare typed lists of those persons whose objection notices have been returned through tlie registered post marked “Gone, no address” by the Post Office. Copies of these lists are then submitted to representatives of party organisations and other persons with good local knowledge lor close scrutiny, with a request to mark any names of persons known to them to be still in the district. This is not a procedure required by the Act, but is merely one of the endeavours made by the local Electoral Office to ensure tiiat a. close scrutiny is made of the names to be removed, in case the Post Office has not been able to trace the elector with tho registered letter. The names of soldiers overseas will he retained on the rolls in their own districts.