Voting Arrangements For N.Z. Setrvicemen

Northern Advocate, 25 August 1943, Page 4

Voting Arrangements For N.Z. Setrvicemen

(Official N.Z.E.F. War Correspondent.) (Ree. 3 p.m.) CAIRO. August 23. As part of a world-wide organisation io record the votes of Nc'.v Zealand men and women serving overseas, a special returning officer and his stall' have arrived from the Dominion, and are completing arrangements with the Middle East forces for the general election next monlh. Already their office is established in the Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force's Middle East base, and they are working to make known the conditions of the election and polling arrangements, to New Zealanders in the three services everywhere between Syria and Egypt, and across Africa, from the Red Sea to the Atlantic. Voting in the Middle East will take place over the fortnight ending at seven o'clock Cairo time on September 24. so that results will be known in New Zealand on election day. Cabled on Election Day Results of the preliminary count will be cabled to New Zealand on September 25. and later, from a final check on all voting papers, the official figures twill be sent.

Although there are still sections scattered over hundreds of miles between the Syrian border and Tripolitania, contacting of units is not a great problem for a returning officer. Now. more than ever previously in the last two years. New Zealand Army units are gathered in reasonably small areas where polling arrangements can be made easily.

The problem of reaching New Zealanders in an isolated R.A.F. station, and New Zealand sailors in llie Mediterranean is far more difficult. Every effort is being made to reach these men. and it is expected that almost all preliminary arrangements for voting will be completed within the next few days.

One of many requests for voting facilities was from a New Zealand pilot, who said he would be ferrying aircraft anywhere between the United States and Egypt before election day.